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J^^^v 


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to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

National  Librazy  of  Canada 


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gAnArositA  da: 

Bibliotheque  nationale  du  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacificationa. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  improa- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
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sion,  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illuatratad  improasion. 


Tha  laat  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  ^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  V  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  applies. 


Las  imagas  suivantas  ont  At*  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin.  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattetA  da  I'exemplaire  film*,  et  an 
conformity  avec  lea  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fiimaga. 

Lea  exemplaires  originaux  oont  la  couvarture  an 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  filmis  en  commen^ant 
par  la  premier  plat  at  9n  terminant  soit  par  la 
darniire  page  qui  comports  une  emprainte 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film*s  an  commandant  par  la 
pramiAre  page  qui  comporta  une  empreinte 
d'impreasion  ou  d'illustration  at  en  terminant  par 
la  darniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symbolaa  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darniAre  image  de  cheque  microficha.  selon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Mapa.  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  bo 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hend  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  aa 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Lea  cartas,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvant  etre 
film*s  *  des  tacx  da  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsqua  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  etra 
raproduit  en  un  seul  clich*.  il  est  film*  *  partir 
de  Tangle  sup*rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  *  droits. 
et  de  haut  an  baa,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'imagea  n*cessaire.  Lea  diagrammes  suivants 
illuatrent  la  m*thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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»©;*:■■ 


MICROCOfY   RESOIUTION   TEST  CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


1.25 


2.8 

■  40 


2.5 

2.0 


j.8 


1.4 


1.6 


A    APPLIED  IIVMGE    I, 


165J  -In    sreet 

Roch'  ,»    York  U609        USA 

(716)    -..  -0300 -Phone 

(716)    288  -  5989  -  Fax 


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TPIE  HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 


THE  HEART  OF 
THE  WORLD 

A  STORY   OF 
CHRISTIAN   SOCIALISM 

BY 

CHARLES   M.  SHELDON 

AuTHoa  or  "Ix  Hn  Smps,"  no. 


Nrw  York        Cbicaoo        Vokomto 

Fleminr   H.  Revell   Company 

LOKOOM'    AKD    EOINBUROR 


Ps^so^ 


c~  r- 


Copyright,  19<W,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


/-  -/-  y-  ^ 


New  York  x  158  Fifth  ATenue 
Chicago  I  80-89  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto  x  27  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London  i  il  Paternoster  Squara 
Edinburgh  I    100  Princet  Street 


CONTENTS 


? 


I.  H«  SicuT ij 

III  Thi  DiscLotcu , gg 

III.  CoMtADEIHIP      >     1,0V* 84 

IV.  Thi«  Oww  Worn  ExiMiE is 

V.  ShAIP  CONTEAm 47 

VI.  A  PiiVATE  Memaoi 7a 

VII.  A  PcBuc  McUAOE 89 

VIII.  Two  or  THE   BlOTHEEHOOD 93 

IZ.  The  F»ciTt  of  the  Stitem lOi 

X.  To  BE  Skipped  bt  the  THocoRTtEu  Riaoek  .    .    .113 

XI.  The  PaooBAMME  or  Socialum 196 

XII.  Stony   Gbocno .  144 

XIII.  The  Wobk  op  the  "  Octopus  " 150 

XIV.  A  Te«i  akd  a  New  Factob 163 

XV.  A  Pbbsoxal  Ekcovkter 179 

XVI.  The  Mibacu! 179 

XVK.  Battukg  fob  a  Son. 191 

XVIII.  The  New  Mak 901 

XIX.  His   Cbou 919 

XX.  The  Pabtiko  of  the  Wats 99i 

XXI.  Habvet  akd  the  "  New  Man  " 236 

XXII.  WoEKiNO  Oct  Salvation 948 

XXIII.  Husband  and   Wife 866 

XXIV.  Lovi  CoNQUEBS  All 961 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


HIS  SECRET 


THE  REV.  FREDRICK  STANTON,  D.D., 
Pastor  of  the  Saint  Cecilia  Metropolitan 
Church,  slowly  took  up  his  pen  and  wrote  finis 
on  the  last  page  of  a  book  manuscript.  He  then 
pushed  his  chair  awaj  from  his  desk  and  leaned  back 
for  a  little  in  silence. 

The  clock  in  the  church  tower  struck  twelve.  When 
the  last  stroke  had  sounded,  the  minister  rose,  walked 
to  the  window  of  his  study,  which  overlooked  the 
small  strip  of  lawn  beside  the  church  wall,  and  stood 
there  a  moment. 

Returning  to  his  desk  he  kneeled  in  front  of  It, 
putting  his  face  on  the  manuscript  as  he  kneeled; 
when  he  raised  his  head  his  face  was  wet  with  tears 
and  his  lips  still  moved  in  an  inaudible  prayer. 

The  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton  was  not  yet  fifty  years 
old,  and  unmarried.  He  was  handsome,  intellec- 
tual, and  lovable.  There  was  no  reason  that  could 
be  given  by  any  one  in  the  parish  of  Saint  Cecilia  why 
the  brilliant  preacher  of  the  most  aristocratic  church 
in  Lenox  did  not  marry  one  of  the  fair  and  rich  mem- 


8  THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

bers  of  his  splendidly  dressed  congregation.  But  the 
fact  remained  that  he  did  not,  and  no  one  had  ever 
dared  to  ask  him  for  the  reason. 

Two  other  qualities  which  made  the  Rev.  Fredrick 
Stanton  popular  and  esteemed  were  his  unquestioned 
affection  for  little  children,  and  a  habit  of  sadness 
which  gave,  not  a  mournful,  but  interesting  cast  to 
features  which  were  classical  in  repose  and  intensely 
modern  in  action. 

The  book  which  he  had  just  finished  was  his  first 
effort.  Whether  it  be  his  best  or  not,  an  author's  first 
book  is  an  event  which  brings  a  particular  and  peculiar 
emotion  to  the  heart  and  mind.  He  never  has  the 
same  feeling  for  another  effort.  The  minister  looked 
at  the  last  page  of  this  manuscript  with  an  affection- 
ate regard.  The  experience  was  new  to  him.  The 
moment  was,  however,  significant  for  other  reasons. 

He  was  about  to  send  his  book  out  to  a  publisher 
under  an  assumed  name.  The  volume  represented  to 
him  the  best  ten  years  of  his  life.  It  represented  more 
than  that.  It  stood  for  his  heart's  faith,  for  the  real 
conviction  which,  during  the  ten  years  of  its  construc- 
tion, had  risen  in  him  into  a  tremendous  passion  that 
not  a  man  or  woman  in  all  his  parish  dreamed  of.  To 
send  the  book  out  and  withhold  its  real  authorship 
was  crucifixion  to  him.  Yet,  as  he  walked  back  and 
forth,  he  was  not  at  any  time  in  doubt  concerning  Ihe 
matter — he  knew  what  he  was  purposing  to  do  and  he 
knew  just  how  he  would  act. 

He  had  not  yet  given  the  manuscript  a  title.     With 


HIS  SECRET 


9 


a  deliberate  but  not  a  hesitating  gesture,  he  now  turned 
over  to  the  first  cliapter  which  lay  on  the  desk,  and 
wrote  across  the  upper  part  of  the  first  page  the 
following : 


"  THE     CHRISTIAN     SOCIALIST." 


After  another  moment  of  silent  contemplation  of  the 
manuscript,  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  the  largest 
pubhshing  house  in  the  United  States  : 

Dear  Sirs: 

I  send  you  by  express,  book  manuscript  entitled 

"  THE     christian     SOCIALIST." 


Lenox,  June  1, 1896. 


Very  truly  yours, 

Mark  Burns. 


He  ran  through  the  chapters,  making  a  few 
slight  changes.  His  handwriting  was  beautifully 
clear  and  strong,  and  the  pages  were,  even  to  his  own 
eyes,  pleasant  to  look  at.  He  then  placed  the  chapters 
together  again,  put  his  letter  on  top  of  the  first  chap- 
ter, wrapped  up  the  manuscript  and  directed  it.  The 
church  clock  struck  the  hour  of  one  as  he  finished. 
The  night  was  quiet.  The  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton 
walked  over  to  the  window  again  and  looked  out. 
Then  he  came  back  to  the  desk,  turned  out  his  light 
and  kneeled  at  his  chair  for  a  long  time.  If  any 
one  had  been  in  the  room  during  that  time  he  would 
have  been  astonished  to  hear  from  the  brilliant,  digni- 


ws 


10        THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

fied  scholarly  pastor  of  Saint  Cecilia,  a  prajer  fuD  of 
broken  cries,  appeals  for  pardon,  confession  for  griev- 
OU8  fault,  and  promises  of  making  full  restitution. 
And  he  would  also  have  been  no  less  amazed  after  the 
prayer  ceased  to  behold  the  minister  rise,  with  hag- 
gard face  and  apparently  unsatisfied  heart,  and  seat 
himself  at  his  desk  once  more,  resting  his  head  upon  it 
unti     dawn   came   in,   to   find   him   still   there,   the 
habitual  sadness  of  his  features  marked  by  an  added 
sternness  of  line   as  the  morning  looked  in  upon  his 
unrefreshed  spirit. 

.Jf^*  J^^^^day  the  manuscript  was  sent  on  to  the 
great  publishing  house.     Three  days  later  a  printed 
form  came  back  stating  that  the  book  had  been  re- 
ceived, and  would  be  examined  in  due  time.     Then 
wo  months  of  silence.     The  Rev.  Fredrick  from  time 
to  time  employed  on  the  beautiful  grounds  surround- 
ing  the  manse  two,  and  sometimes  three,  men     «  Mark 
Bums,"  whose  address  was  the  street  number  of  th 
manse,  might  have  been  one  of  the  men. 

When  the  minister  opened  the  next  letter  to  «  Mark 
Burns ''  he  was  alone  in  the  manse  seated  in  his  study. 
He  had  been  out  calling  that  afternoon  in  his  parish. 
His  last  call  was  at  the  beautiful  residence  of  Judge 
Rodney.  Mrs  Rodney  and  her  daughter,  Miss  MH- 
dred,  were  at  home,  and  the  conversation  had  at  last 
turned  upon  the  great  strike  threatened  by  the  miU 
operatives  in  South  Lenox. 

"The  men  don't  know  what  is  good  for  them,"  Mrs. 
Rodney  spoke  sharply.     Mrs.  Rodney  was  a  large  and 


HIS  SECRET  11 

handsomely  gowned  woman,  who  wore  several  dia- 
mond rings  and  had  limitless  confidence  in  her  own 
opinions  of  politics,  business  and  the  church. 

Her  daughter  Mildred  was  not  quite  so  positive  as 
her  mother,  but  she  was  a  young  woman  with  strong 
convictions  and  a  natural  leaning  to  the  favored 
classes  of  society,  and  especially  those  classes  that  as- 
sembled within  the  strictly  proper  social  atmosphere 
of  the  church  of  Saint  Cecilia. 

"Of  course,"  Mrs.  Rodney  continued,  "I  don't 
object  to  fair  wages  for  the  working  people.  But  it  is 
simply  preposterous  that  they  should  demand  so  much. 
The  recent  disturbances  in  the  labor  world  are  due  to 
envy  of  the  upper  classes.  The  mill  operatives  are 
becoming  unbearable.  They  are  no  longer  satisfied 
with  comfortable  homes.  They  begin  to  cry  out  for 
luxuries." 

"Do  you  think  mill  operatives  ought  not  to  have 
any  luxuries,  mother?"  asked  Miss  Mildred,  looking 
first  at  her  mother  then  at  the  Rev.  Fredrick.  When 
Miss  Rodney  spoke  like  that,  the  minister  always  gave 
her  an  inquiring  glance,  as  if  in  doubt  over  something 
serious. 

Mrs.  Rodney  waved  her  jeweled  hand  gracefully. 

"Of  course  they  are  entitled  to  what  they  need. 
But  where  will  their  demands  cease?  Give  them  what 
they  ask  now,  and  in  a  year  or  two  they  will  come 
back  after  more.  I  say  it  is  getting  to  be  preposter- 
ous. The  working  people  are  demanding  as  much 
as " 


1«        THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

"As  we  do,"  suggested  the  Rev.  Fredrick,  with  a 
faint  smile,  speaking  to  the  mother  but  looking  at  the 
daughter. 

"  Of  course  tliere  must  always  be  classes  in  society," 
Mrs.   Rodney   continued.     "The   governing   classes 
need  certain  things  in  the  way  of  luxuries  to  minister 
to  their  state  of  development.     The  lower  classes  can 
and  should  be  contented  with  less.     I  have  always 
noticed,  for  instance,  that  when  one  of  my  maids 
begins  to  get  ambitious  for  better  clothes,  for  finer 
wall  paper  on  her  room,  she  begins  to  grow  slack  with 
her  work,  and  invariably  I  have  to  dismiss  her.     The 
working  people  should  be  taught  to  keep  their  place. 
That  is  the  reason  I  say  this  strike  is  unwarranted; 
and  I  agree  with  Judge  Rodney,  that  the  working 
people  are  their  o';ti  worst  enemies  when  they  attempt 
to  claim  mo-'-  than  they  are  capable  of  assimilating." 
"  Mother  subscribed  for  The  Ladies  Repository  for 
our  last  cook,"  Miss  Mildred  spoke,  looking  out  of  an 
amused  pair  of  gray  eyes  at  the  minister;  "  and  what 
do  you  think  the  result  was?  " 

"  I  have  no  idea,"  replied  the  Rev.  Fredrick  cau- 
tiously. 

"  The  cook  came  tc  mother  one  day  and  wanted  to 
know  who  her  dressmi:ke^  was." 

"  I  should  call  that  a  compliment  to  your  mother," 
replied  the  Rev.  Fredrick,  without  the  hint  of  a  smile 
on  his  expressive  face. 

"  It  was  the  height  of  insolence  on  the  cook's  part," 
Mrs.  Rodney  said,  a  little  stiffly.     «It  was  another 


HIS  SECRET 


13 


instance,  and  I  have  never  known  one  to  fail,  of  the 
mistake  made  when  we  attempt  to  elevate  or  encourage 
the  working  people.  It  makes  them  envious  and  dis- 
satisfied.    Let  them  know  their  place  and  keep  it." 

There  was  a  little  more  talk  along  the  same  line,  and 
the  minister  had  at  last  come  away  after  having  lis- 
tened more  than  he  had  talked,  and  bringing  away 
with  him,  as  he  always  did  after  meeting  Miss  Mildred 
Rodney,  a  very  large  interrogation  mark  in  his  mind 
concerning  her  real  attitude  toward  life  in  general 
and  his  own  life  in  particular. 

Back  in  his  study  he  found  his  maU  on  the  desk 
where  his  housekeeper  had  laid  it,  and  he  noticed  first 
the  letter  directed  to  "  Mark  Bums." 

He  opened  it  at  once,  and  read  with  growing  excite- 
ment the  following' : 

Me.  Mahk  Buens,  Lenox: 

Dear  Sir~l  am  happy  to  state  in  behalf  of  the 
house,  that  your  manuscript,  The  Christian  Socialist, 
has  been  approved  by  our  readers,  and  we  shall  be 
pleased  to  publish  the  book  at  the  usual  terras  of  ten 
I^r  cent,  royalty.  We  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  you 
at  your  earliest  convenience  in  regard  to  the  matter, 
and  -f  you  accept  our  conditions  for  publication,  shall 
also  be  pleased  to  have  your  sugges-ons  as  to  cover 
design  or  illustrations. 

Very  cordially  yours, 

C.  B.  M.,  for  the  firm — 

New  York. 


14   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

In  his  reply  to  this  note,  the  Rev.  Fredrck  Stanton 
wrote,  accepting  the  terms  made  by  the  publishers,  and 
enclosed  a  sketch  of  a  cover  design,  leaving  the  matter 
of  possible  illustrations  with  the  house.     There  was  a 
glow  of  unusual  pleasure  in  the  thought  that  his  book 
had  been  accepted  by  the  firm.     The  only  trace  of  dis- 
appomtment  felt  at  the  time  was  a  vague  and  unde- 
fined wonder  at  the  .ibsence  of  any  criticism  of  the 
manuscript  one  way  or  the  other.     But  he  reflected  as 
he  penned  his  reply    that  it  was  a  purely  business 
transaction,  and  the  editor  could  not  be  expected  to 
make  extended  remarks  of  approval  on  the  host  of 
manuscripts  received  and  accepted. 

There  foUowed  now  for  several  weeks  the  receipt 
and  correction  of  proof-sheets  of  the  book,  and  early 
m  the  fall  of  that  year  the  book  itself  came  out,  and 
on-  of  the  keenest  delights  of  his  whole  life  was  ex- 
perienced by  him  one  day  in  October,  when  he  received 
from  the  publishers  half  a  dozen  complimentary  copies 
of  his  first  published  volume. 

^  The  cover  design  was  a  striking  emblem  represent- 
ing a  gigantic  hand  squeezing  the  world,  which  was 
pictured  as  an  orange  from  which  ran  drops  of  blood, 
which  a  closer  examination  revealed  to  the  reader  to 
be  hearts,  with  despairing  human  faces  on  them, 
mostly  of  little  children.  The  artist  had  put  the 
design  in  colors  of  red  and  white.  The  vivid  appear- 
ance of  It  as  the  book  lay  on  his  desk  startled  the  Rev 
Fredrick  Stanton,  and  at  first  he  questioned  its  good 
taste  so  strongly  that  he  was  tempted  to  ^vrite  a  letter 


! 


.!1 


'V  >"•*    _ 


HIS  SECRET 


10 


% 


.#'1 


11 


m 


to  the  publisher,  asking  that  if  any  further  editions 
should  be  printed  to  have  the  design  discontinued  and 
the  book  issued  in  plain  covers. 

But,  after  thinking  it  over,  he  decided  to  wait  and 
let  the  public  judge  of  the  matter,  if,  indeed,  the  pub- 
lic, in  the  shape  of  that  uncertain  quantity  the  "  kind 
reader,"  should  care  enough  about  the  book  to  look  at 
the  outside  of  it,  to  say  nothing  of  actually  buying 
and  perusing  it. 

Within  the  next  two  months  the  Rev.  Fredrick  re- 
ceived from  the  New  York  publishers  several  news- 
paper book  reviews  of  The  Christian  Socialist.  They 
sounded  to  him  suspiciously  like  advertisements  sent 
out  by  the  publisher,  and  although  he  was  unfamiliar 
with  such  matters;  he  afterwards  lear^ied  that  his  sus- 
picions were  correct.  The  book  seemed  destined  to  be 
unnoticed,  unhonored  and  unread  by  the  public,  how- 
ever, spite  of  the  publisher's  glowing  reviews,  and  as 
the  holidays  drew  near,  the  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton 
buried  his  first-born  in  what  he  thought  was  an  unres- 
urrected  state. 

What  was  his  intense  surprise,  therefore,  to  receive, 
a  week  before  Christmas,  a  congratulatory  letter  from 
the  publishers,  which  ran  something  like  this : 

"  We  are  happy  to  state  that  the  sale  of  The  Chris- 
tian Socialist  has  gone  into  the  third  edition,  and  the 
demand  is  daily  increasing." 

This  was,  as  stated,  a  week  before  Christmas.  Dur- 
ing the  next  three  weeks  the  papers  began  to  call 
attention  to  the  new  and  startling  story  called  The 


16        THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

Christian  Socialitt.  Magazines  wrote  long  liti  rary 
reviews  of  it.  Religious  journals  bitterly,  and  in 
most  cases  savagely,  criticised  it.  People  talked 
about  the  book  at  social  gatherings.  They  discussed 
it  at  religious  conventions,  they  read  it  on  the  cars, 
they  took  jides  for  and  against  its  teachings,  and  on 
all  sides  asked  concerning  its  authorship. 

Even  the  conventional  parish  of  Saint  Cecilia 
caught  the  contagion  of  the  public  mania  for  The 
Chmtian  Socialist.  It  actually  read  the  book 
through,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  discuss  it.  On 
nearly  every  library  table  in  the  elegant  homes  of  his 
rich  parishioners,  the  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton  grew 
daily  accustomed  to  the  familiar  design  of  the  gigantic 
hand  and  the  blood-red  orange  world. 

There  was  practically  only  one  opinion  in  the 
parish  of  Saint  Cecilia  concerning  The  Christian 
Socialist,  and  it  was  voiced  emphatically  by  Mrs.  Rod- 
ney one  afte'  oon  in  the  latter  part  of  February, 
while  the  pastor  of  Saint  Cecilia  was  making  a  parish 
call. 

"  The  most  dangerous  book  ever  written ! "  Mrs. 
Rodney  declared,  tapping  the  volume  decisively  with 
the  tips  of  her  jeweled  fingers.  "  It  will,  to  my  mind, 
go  far  towards  inflaming  the  public  mind  to  deeds 
of  violence.  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  this  book 
led  to  a  bloody  revolution.  I  actually  saw  a  copy  of 
it  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  strikers  this  afternoon, 
as  I  was  coming  back  from  South  Lenox  in  the 
trolley.     He  was  discussing  it  in  a  very  excited  man- 


.•'■ii»  ijrt  ^ 


His  SECRET 


17 


. 


ner  with  another  man   beside  him.     The  a  ithor  is 
evident " 

At  that  moment  Judge  Rodney  came  into  the  draw- 
ing-room. AH  the  parlors  in  the  parish  of  Saint 
Cecilia  were  "drawing-rooms." 

He  greeted  the  minister  co  ^.ully  and  looked  inquir- 
ingly at  his  wife. 

"I  was  just  saying,"  Mrs.  Rodney  continued, 
'*  that  this  book  is  the  most  dangerous  book  ever  pub- 
lished, and,  in  my  opinion,  it  will  inflame  the  public 
mind  to  deeds  of  violence." 

"Oh!  The  Christian  Socialist,"  Judge  Rodney 
exclp  *med,  with  an  air  of  Interest.  *'  A  remarkable 
book,  Mr.  Stanton.  But  I  agree  with  Mrs.  Rodney 
— most  dmgerous.  It  attacks  the  foundations  of 
soci'ity.  Of  course  you  have  read  the  book.  What 
do  you  think  of  it } " 

"  We  have  been  looking  for  a  sermon  on  the  book," 
Mildred  interrupted.  "Nearly  every  other  minister 
in  Lenox  has  preached  on  it." 

"You  know  I  seldom  preach  book  reviews,"  said 
the  minister  with  a  smile,  and  at  that  moment  Judge 
Rodney  was  called  out  of  the  room  by  a  messenger, 
and  the  Rev.  Fredrick  did  not  answer  his  question. 
Mrs.  Rodney,  however,  repeated  it. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  book.  Dr.  Stanton?  " 

"I  am  not  a  very  good  judge  of  such  books,  Mrs. 
Rodney,  and  do  not  know  that  I  am  capable  of  giving 
an  opinion." 

"You  are  too  modest,"  Mrs.  Rodney  replied,  a 


18   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

trifle  iharplj.  If  there  was  one  unpardonable  sin  to 
her  it  was  the  sin  of  not  having  positive  opinions. 
"At  heart  you  will  agree  with  Judge  Rodney  and  me 
that  the  book  is  dangerous  in  the  extreme."  She 
took  the  minister's  silence  for  consent,  and  added, 
"  If  I  were  the  Russian  government  in  this  country 
I  would  suppress  this  book  by  law." 

"  An  1  you  would  get  it  read  by  more  people 
than  are  reading  it  now,"  said  Miss  Mildred 
carelessly. 

"Oh,  as  to  that,  I  differ.  To  my  mind  the  only 
y^  -y  to  deal  with  heresy  is  to  stamp  it  out  with  a 
strong  hand." 

Mrs.  Rodney  mixed  her  metaphors  as  a  toper  would 
mix  a  drink,  for  her  own  sake  alone  and  regardless  of 
any  one  else's  tastes.  After  expressing  herself  thus 
she  suddenly  excused  herself  to  answer  some  call  from 
a  servant,  leaving  the  minister  and  Miss  Mildred 
alone  together..  It  was  not  the  first  time,  and  the 
Rev.  Fredrick  did  not  seem  to  be  disturbed  over  it. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  The  Christian  Socialist, 
Dr.  Stanton?"  Miss  Mildred  asked,  as  her  mother 
went  out  of  the  room. 

"  Is  my  opi/iion  worth  anything.'' " 

"In  this  case,  yes." 

**I  think  the  story  is  interesting." 

"That  is  lot  an  opinion." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  Merely  a  statement." 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  say?' 


))V 


HIS  SECRET 


10 


t 


t      * 


"  What  you  believe,  of  course." 

"  Does  it  make  any  (liffcrencc  whether  I  answer  o- 
not?" 

"It  is  for  you  to  jud-.,"  Miss  Mildred  answered; 
but  there  was  n  Hash  in  her  eyes  that  the  Rev.  Fred- 
rick could  interpret  in  any  or    of  several  ways. 

"  Well,  then,  Miss  Rodney,  I  am  not  prepared  to 
express  an  opinion  on  the  book." 

"  You  mean  you  cannot  ?  " 

The  minister  was  silent. 

"Or  you  will  not?" 

The  Rev.  Fredrick  was  silent  still,  yet  his  silence 
did  not  seem  discourteous. 

"Or  you  dare  not?"  Miss  Mildred  shot  the  last 
arrow  in  her  quiver,  and  it  wcnt  home. 

"It  is  for  you  to  say,"  he  finally  answered,  looking 
at  her  gravely. 

"  I  do  not  claim  the  last  word.  Dr.  Stanton." 
She  picked  up  the  book  from  the  table  whero  her 
mother  had  laid  it  when  she  went  out,  and  turned  its 
pages  as  if  the  minister  were  jiot  in  the  room.  Hr  iid 
not  break  the  silence,  as  if  he  knew  sht  wouid  speak. 
Finally  she  began  to  read  aloud. 

"  Page  127.  ♦  Janet  accepted  him  as  her  lover  and 
husband  without  a  single  question.  Although  he  had 
lived  a  life  of  conscious  cowardice  and  she  knew  it,  at 
this  crisis  in  his  career  she  forgot  and  forgave'  so 
utterly  that  her  act  was  redemptive  for  him,  and  he 
permitted  the  sacrifice  on  her  part  without  remon- 
strance.' " 


«0        THE   HEART   OF   THE   WOULD 


h 


1     1 


Miss  Mildred  Rodney  lifted  her  eyes  from  the  book 
and  looked  steadfastly  at  the  minister. 

"No  woman  like  Janet  Arnold  could  ever  love  a 
coward." 

"How  do  you  know.^"'  he  asked  unexpectedly. 

She  seemed  confused  by  the  question  and  did  not 
answer  at  once.  The  Rev.  Fredrick  had  never  before 
seen  the  fair  Miss  Mildred  lose  her  self-possession. 

"  A  girl  like  Janet  Arnold  would  not,"  she  repeated 
weakly. 

"  But  to  my  mind,"  the  Rev.  Fredrick  said  slowly, 
"  the  character  of  Janet  Arnold  in  the  book  seems  to 
be  taken  from  your  own." 

"Do  you  think  so.?"  Miss  Mildred  asked  in  a  low 
tone. 

"I  was  struck  with  the  resemblance  all  along." 
"  But  I  would  not  act  like  that ;  I  could  not  love  a 
coward." 

"But  was  the  man  a  coward  at  the  last?" 
"  Once  a  coward  alwa3's  one." 
"Do  you  want  me  to  argue  the  matter.'" 
"No;  the  story  has  many  faults.     Still,  shall  I 
confess,  it  made  me  cry." 

He  looked  at  her  in  wonder.  Wlion  had  any  man 
ever  seen  the  proud  :Mildrcd  shed  a  tear.  But  as  she 
raised  her  eyes  again,  the  minister  for  a  moment  fan- 
cied he  could  detect  an  unwonted  dimness  in  their 
regular  cold  clear  gray  depths. 
"  It  made  you  cry .''  " 
"Yes;  I  wonder  who  'Mark  Burns'  can  be.      I 


HIS  SECRET 


21 


I  would  ask  him  if  I  rosem- 


should  like  to  know  him. 
bled  Janet  Arnold." 

When  the  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton  reached  the  manse 
after  his  parish  calls  were  over,  he  found  a  telegram 
on  his  desk.    It  was  from  the  New  York  publishers : 

''The  Christian  Socialist  to-day  passed  its  One 
Hundred  Thousandth  sold  copy.     Congratulations." 

He  stared  at  the  yellow  paper  hardly  grasping  the 
significant  item.  Four  weeks  later  another  telegram 
announced : 

"Book  selling  1,000  copies  a  day.  Unparalleled 
demand  rapidly  increasing." 

This  was  the  latter  part  of  March.     By  the  first  of 
May  The  Christian  Socialist  had  leaped  to  the  front 
of  all  the  books  of  the  day,  and  its  sales  exceeded 
three  hundred  thousand  copies,  with  no  indications  of 
any  slackening  of  interest  on  the  part  of  either  the 
buying  or  the  reading  public.     The  papers  still  dis- 
cussed   the    story,    the    religious    press    still    bitterly 
assailed  it,  the  pulpit  continued  to  preach  about  it, 
workingmcn's  organizations  passed  resolutions  upon 
it,  pyramids  of  it  still  loomed  up  in  the  book  stores  and 
on  the  railroad  news-stands,  and,  contrary  to  all  prece- 
dent,   tJie   book    gained   in    steady    sales   as   summer 
advanced,    and    a    cong.-atulatory    letter    to    "Mark 
Burns  "  in  the  latter  part  of  May   announced  that  all 
other  publications  issued  by  the  firm  were  practically 
set  aside  in  order  to  supply  the  enormous  orders  that 
were  pouring  in  from  all  parts  of  the  country  and  from 
Europe  as  well. 


««        THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


It  was  a  week  !'ter  this  letter  came  that  a  visitor 
called  at  the  manse  one  afternoon.  The  Rev.  Fredrick 
Stanton  was  out  in  his  parish  somewhere,  but  the  well- 
dressed  stranger  quietly  told  the  housekeeper  that  he 
would  wait.  He  was  shown  into  the  minister's  study, 
and  sat  there  evidently  deeply  interested  in  everything 
he  saw  until  the  minister  entered  the  room. 

The  minute  he  appeared  the  visitor  rose  to  greet 
him  with  a  smile. 

"Dr.  Stanton.?" 

"Yes." 

"  In  other  words,  *  Mark  Burns.' " 

The  Rev.  Fredrick  was  silent,  but  he  observed  his 
visitor  intently. 

"  You  will  have  to  pardon  this  intrusion,"  said  the 
visitor  with  another  smile.    "  I  am  the  junior  member 

of  the  firm  of ,  of  New  York,  and  I  have  come 

to  Lenox  to  see  the  author  of  the  most  remarkable 
book  of  the  age,  you  cannot  hide  your  light  under  that 
nom  de  plume  any  longer.  The  public  clamors  to 
know  you.  Our  New  York  office  is  besieged  with  let- 
ters from  readers  asking  for  photographs  and  auto- 
graphs, and  from  lecture  bureau  agents  asking  for 
engagements.  The  newspapers  are  hot  on  your  trail, 
and  it  has  beei.  nothing  less  than  a  miracle  that  you 
have  not  been  found  out  and  written  up  weeks  before 
now.  We  want  your  photograph  and  life  history  for 
a  new  and  specially  prepared  illustrated  edition  of  the 
book,  and  I  have  come  on  to  assist  you  in  working  up 
the  material." 


HIS  SECRET 


9S 


"  What  if  I  should  refuse  all  that?  "  asked  the  Rev. 
Fredrick  slowly. 

"  Refuse !  But,  my  dear  sir,  it  is  impossible !  The 
public  must  be  appeased.  It  will  not  be  possible  to 
maintain  this  secrecy  any  longer." 

"Why  not?  George  Eliot  was  not  known  as  the 
author  of  Adam  Bede  for  years.  It  was  five  years 
before  Charles  Egbert  Craddock  was  known  to  be  a 
woman.  The  author  of  Ecce  Dcus,  Dr.  Joseph 
Parker,  of  London,  did  not  disclose  the  fact  of  the 
au-  orship  of  that  book  for  more  than  ten  years  after 
if  was  published,  and  it  was  discussed  by  the  people  in 
his  own  church,  who  never  suspected  that  he  was  the 
author." 

"But  I  should  think,  my  dear  sir,  that  you  would 
wish  to  be  known.  There  never  was  such  a  sale  of  a 
book  in  this  country.  We  have  been  obliged  to  dis- 
continue every  other  publication  to  meet  our  orders. 
It  is  simply  unprecedented  in  the  history  of  the  book 
business." 

"  Nevertheless  I  do  not  wish  to  disclose  my  identity. 
I  have  my  own  reason  for  not  wishing  to  be  known  as 
its  author." 

The  publisher  was  silent  a  moment. 

"  I  doubt  if  you  can  maintain  the  secret.  Of  course, 
if  that  is  your  firm  decision  we  shall  do  our  utmost  to 
respect  it.  You  need  have  no  fear  of  that."  Then 
after  a  moment  of  hesitation  he  asked,  "  Is  it — do  you 
— that  is,  is  this  reason  you  have  for  not  wishing  to 
be  known  anything  you  can  give  to  the  firm  ?  " 


''*, 


24   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

The  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton  answered  slowly.     « It 
IS  not.    The  reason  is  one  I  have  never  disclosed." 

The  visitor  bowed  and  soon  after  took  his  leave, 
promising  again  solemnly  to  respect  "  Mark  Bums' " 
secret.  When  he  had  gone  away  the  minister  bowed 
his  head  upon  his  desk,  and  when  he  raised  his  head 
at  last  the  habitual  sadness  of  his  face  was  deepened, 
and  the  whole  man  seemed  depressed  even  at  the 
moment  of  his  highest  fame,  from  which  he  apparently 
shrank  as  from  an  unwelcome  visitor. 

Summer  faded  into  autumn  and  autumn  whitened 
into  winter  when  the    great  event  transpired   which 
marked  church  history  for  Saint  Cecilia  for  all  its  life 
to  come.       The  Rev.  Fredri_^k  Stanton,  D.D.,    had 
been  chosen  from  a  large  number  of  candidates  in  the 
churches  as  Bishop,  to  fill  the  position  of  one  who  had 
been  removed  by  old  age  from  ^he  distinguished  office. 
The  ceremony  of  inducting  him  into  the  high  place  of 
honor  was  fitly  performed  in  the  magnificent  audience- 
room  of  Saint  Cecilia  itself.    The  congregation  assem- 
bled was  remarkable  for  its  aristocralic  appearance, 
for  the  fine  display  of  rich  gannents  and  the  unques- 
tioned high  tone  of  its  social  standing.     The  array  of 
distinguished  guests  and  church  officials  and  neighbor- 
ing clergy  was  imposing.  The  people  of  Saint  Cecilia, 
while  truly  grieving  over  the  loss  of  their  scholarly, 
refined  pastor,  felt  at  the  same  time  a  nr tural  pride  at 
the  honor  conferred  upon  him.    Judge  and  Mrs.  Rod- 
ney and  Miss  Mildred  sat  near  the  altar  rail  in  their 
accustomed  pew,  and  when  the  newly  elected  Bishop 


V 


HIS  SECRET 


lUi 


Came  out  upon  the  platfonn  to  face  his  brother  Bishop 
and  answer  to  the  Bishop's  charge,  he  glanced  toward 
the  Rodney  pew  for  a  second.  Then  he  fastened  his 
eyes  upon  the  Bishop,  a  venerable  old  man,  with  a 
clear  and  resonant  voice,  who,  according  to  the  ritual 
of  the  Church,  faced  the  new  Bishop  and  propounded 
to  him  the  regular  questions.  As  the  Rev.  Fredrick 
made  his  replies,  although  reading  them  from  the 
printed  manual,  he  seonicd  never  to  lower  his  eyes, 
and  his  face  was  grave,  and  Miss  :Mildred  said  to  her- 
self, unusually  pale. 

The  venerable  Bishop  finished  reading,  closed  the 
manual,  and  then,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  great 
assembly  he  did  a  thing  unprecedented  in  the  history 
of  a  Bishop's  consecration.  He  proceeded  to  address 
the  new  Bishop  in  his  own  words,  not  outlined  in  the 
manual. 

"  Brother  Fredrick  Stanton,  I  feel  it  to  be  a  part 
of  my  duty  to-day  to  add  somewhat  of  counsel  to  the 
words  of  the  charge  I  have  in  the  name  cf  the  Church 
just  given  to  you.  There  is  abroad  to-day  in  the 
world  a  new  spirit  of  so-called  rdigious  teaching, 
which  is  subversive  of  doctrine  and  especially  danger- 
ous to  the  Established  Church.  I  refer  to  the  rapidly 
growing  heresy  of  Christian  Socialism,  so  cal'ed  !  I 
especially  refer  to  that  most  dangerous  and  pernicious 
volume  published  in  the  guise  of  fiction,  and  called 
The  Christian  Socialist.  Its  teachings  are  a  grave 
and  growing  menace  to  wealth  and  social  distinctions, 
and  if  carri.d  out  they  will  place  the  Church  in  a 


«6        THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

procariou.  position  and  render  it  necessary  for  her  to 
abandon  the  established  order  of  her  system  of  instruc- 
tion. As  your  elder  in  the  Church  I  feel  moved  to 
dehver  to  you,  my  brother,  my  earnest  charge,  that 
as  you  have  thus  far  in  your  pulpit  ministrations  com- 
mended  yourself  to  the  Church  as  a  wise  and  conserva- 
ine  leader  m  matters  pertaini,.g  to  doctrine  and  social 
order,  you  wdl  now,  with  the  added  influence  and 
power  that  have  come  to  you  with  this  high  office, 

truths  handed  down  from  our  fathers,  and  combat 
w.th  all  your  mtellect  and  soul  the  heresy  of  this  dan- 
gerous  socia   movement,  and  in  particular  the  heresy 
of  cbs  popular  volume,  which  has  taken  such  strange 
and  fateful  hold  upon  the  imagination  of  the  comml 
pooplo,  and  m  some  cases  upon  the  better-informed 
classes    w,thm    the    Church    itself.     If   it    did^ot 
appear  pre^   mptuous  even  in  one  who  is  your  elder  bv 
-any  years,  I  would  dare  to  express  the  hope  that 
w,th    ,^ur    g.fts    of   „nnd    and    imagination,    you 
rn^ht  be   ed  to  combat  this  most  dangerous  b;,kTf 
he  present  age  with  a  volume  which  you  might  be  led 
to  CO    truct.     However  that  may  be,  my  brother,  I 
solemnly  charge  you,  will  you  to  the  utmost  of  your 
great  abdity,  combat  in  privat.  .nd  in  public  the 
growmg  heresy  of  Christian  Socialism.     Do  you  so 
promise,  by  the  grace  of  God  ? '' 

During  this  impromptu  address,  Mrs.  Rodney  sat  a 
breathless  listener,  together  ..itU  all  the  other"!  ^ 
great  concourse.     At  first  she  h.d  felt  strongly  like 


r»M':^':^  ■■x?<^%:?:-^i^:iv^a^-'  y  ^-i-^ffT^v-' 


HIS  SECRET 


«7 


disapproving  such  a  departure  from  the  established 
order  of  the  manual.  E'lt  after  the  first  two  sentences 
she  leaned  forward  with  a  smile  of  hearty  approval 
on  her  determined  face.  The  Judge  looked  pleased. 
Miss  Mildred  never  withdrew  her  look  from  the  new 
Bishop's  countenance. 

"  He  is  going  to  faint,"  she  said  in  a  half  whisper, 
as  the  words  of  the  venerable  Bishop  ceased  and  a 
silence  unbroken  by  the  new  Bishop  followed,  of  such 
duration  that  ]Miss  Mildred  Rodney  feared  her  mother 
would  be  sharply  conscious  of  a  rapid  heart-beat  close 
beside  her. 

Slowly,  very  slowly,  the  Very  Rev.  Fredrick  Stan- 
ton, D.D.,  newly  elected  and  now  to  be  consecrated 
Bishop,  turned  a  little  toward  the  congregation. 

"  I  have  a  statement  to  make,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  so 
low  that  the  people  in  the  back  part  of  the  church 
asked  what  he  said.  But  as  he  turned  again  and  faced 
his  venerable  colleague  his  voice  rose  in  power  until 
it  filled  with  carrying  force  the  farthest  corner  of  the 
large  room. 

"  My  first  statement  is  this.  For  twenty-five  years 
I  have  been  a  coward  in  the  pulpit.  My  second  is 
this:  I  am  '\s  author  of  The  Christian  Socialist,  and 
its  teachings  are  my  heart  beliefs." 


'SiPS^S'-^ 


I 


u 

THE   DISCLOSURE 

ALL  over  the  cln.rch  of  Saint  Cecilia  a  gasp  of 
^astonishment     rose.      Mrs.     Rodney     looked 

loudl  P"^f^-  "^^''-t-'  ^Vhat!"  she  exclaimed 
loudly  Ihen,  bewildered,  she  turned  to  the  Judge 
and  M.ss  Mildred  In  turn.  "What  did  he  sav^" 
she  exclaimed  in  a  whisper  to  the  Judge.  Jud..e 
Rodney  d.d  not  reply,  but  continued  to  listen  grimly 
as  btanton  went  on. 

"For  twenty -five  years,  Brother  Lee,  and  brethren, 
I  have  been  preaching  half  a  Gospel,  hiding  in  mv 
own  heart  that  which  was  the  vital  truth  to  me      I 
was   born    into   the   established   order  of  a   wealthy, 
Wed   class   of   social   prominence.      I   entered   t^ 
pulpit  with  this  inherited  inborn  and  educated  habit 
of  mind.     As  the  years  of  my  ministry  have  gone  on 
I  have  been  irresistibly  led,  however,  to  believe  that  the 
Gospel  fully  understood  demands  a  new  and  different 
order  of  social  life  from  that  which  the  Church  has  all 
these  ^,ars  been  teaching.     Ten  years  ago  this  con- 
viction had  grown  so  strong  in  me  that  I  was  impelled 
to  write  the  story  called  The  Christian  SocMist, nd, 
I  repeat  it,  that  book  contains  my  heart  beliefs,  the 
vital  Gospel  truths  which  I  ought  to  have  preached 


i 


'.;f..j,-' 


THE  DISCLOSURE 


«9 


f 


from  the  pulpit,  but  which  I  did  not  preach  because 
of  my  cowardice.    I  knew  this  church  would  reject  me 
and  my  teachings.     I  was,  I  confess  it  freely,  too 
much  in  love  with  the  social  position  I  held  in  Saint 
Cecilia  to  be  willing  to  exchange  it  for  the  ostracism 
and  the  misunderstanding  I  should  henceforth  know. 
But,  Brother  Lee,  bretlircn,  friends,  all,  do  not  have 
any  compassion  or  even  contempt  for  me.    To-day  for 
the  first  time  I  speak  as  a  free  man.     The    cachings 
m  the  book  I  most  firmly  believe  are  Gospel  truths. 
I  am  not   and  would  not  be  an   enemy   of  human 
advancement.    I  love  the  Church  even  though  I  antici- 
pate its  necessary  action  in  my  own  case.     To  relieve 
her  of  any  possible  embarrassment,  I  here  and  now 
resign  my  position  as  one  of  her  ministers,  I  lay 
down  this  high  office  just  conferred,  I  step  voluntarily 
into  the  ranks  of  the  people,  and  if  at  any  time  I  am 
called  to  resume  the  sacred  office  of  a  minister  of 
Christ  and  give  my  message  through  the  pulpit,  I 
wiU  gladly   do  so  if  I  am  called  by  God  and  my 
brethren.     Meanwhile,  I  shall  privately  and  publicly 
espouse  the  aiuse  as  I  have  declared  it  in  my  own 
book,  for  it  contains  my  very  life.     We  have  already 
entered  upon  a  history  of  the  race  which  nothing  can 
set  back.     The  social  movement  cannot  be  stopped. 
The  Church  is  powerless,  society  is  powerless,  to  stay 
this  last  unfolding  of  the  teaching  of  the  Golden 
Rule  and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount." 

He  gravely  and  with  great  dignity  bowed  t     the 
venerable  Bishop,  to  the  assembled  clergy  on  the  plat- 


80        THE  HEAKT  OF  THE   WORLD 

form  and  then  to  the  conffrogation.  and  turning 
walked,  with  head  erect,  from  the  platform  and  into 
the  pastor's  room  at  the  side.  As  the  door  closed,  a 
wave  of  astonished  whispering  swept  over  the  assem- 
bly. Bishop  Lee.  after  a  moment  of  stunned  embar- 
rassment turned  to  the  congregation. 

"This  service  is  over."  he  said  briefly,  and  turned 
to  his  brethren  on  the  platform.  Judge  Rodney  and 
wife  and  daughter  rose,  and  were  among  the  first  to 
pass  out  in  stern  and  astonished  silence. 

That  evening  the  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton  made  his 
last  parish  call  as  pastor  of  Saint  Cecilia.  Through- 
out that  afternoon  he  had  been  holding  conference 
with  several  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry.  There 
was  nothing,  however,  for  him  to  do  but  what  was 
inevitable.  His  brethren  conceded  that,  after  a  fruit- 
loss  conference,  and  withdrew  finally. 

When  Uie  servant  took  in  the  Rev.  Fredrick  Stan- 
ton s  card  to  Mrs.  Rodney  she  turned  red.  then  pale, 
and  handed  the  card  to  the  Judge. 

"Tell  him  we  are  not  at  home."  she  said  sharply. 
The  Judge  turned  a  little  uneasily  in  his  chair  but 
said  nothing. 

The  servant  went  out.  Presently  he  came  back  and 
said  apologetically,  "  Dr.  Stanton  wishes  to  see  Miss 
Rodney." 

Miss  Mildred  sat  still,  and  her  mother  eyed  her 
sternly. 

"TeJl  Mr.  Stanton  Miss  Mildred  is  not  at  home." 
Miss  Mildred  rose  and  faced  her  motlicr. 


\i 


Tin:  DISCLOSUUE 


31 


♦'  I  atii  going  down  to  see  him,"  she  said. 

The  Judge  shrugged  his  shoulders.  Mrs.  Rodney 
struck  the  table  with  her  jeweled  fingers. 

"  I  forbid  it !  you  shalj  not  see  that  man  ! " 

"Nevertheless,    mother,    I   am    going,    for— for 

I " 

"If  you  disobey  me  you  know  what "  Mrs. 

Rodney  did  not  finish.  Miss  Mildred  said  simply, 
"  If  he  asks  me  to  marry  him,  I  shall  become  his  wife. 
Father,"  she  suddenly  turned  and  kneeled  by  the 
Judge,  "I  love  him  !"  She  hid  her  face  on  his 
breast  as  she  used  to  do  when  a  child,  and  the  Judge 
kissed  her,  but  did  not  say  anything.  Suddenly  the 
proud  Mildred  rose  and  walked  out  of  the  room, 
before  her  mother  could  utter  another  word. 

In  the  parlor  the  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton  turned  to 
face  a  self-possesF"d  woman,  who  asked  him  to  be 
seated,  as  if  forsooth  he  were  some  indifferent  caller. 

"I  have  come,"  he  said  abruptly— "to  say  good- 
bye. Of  course  I  am  aware  that  what  has  been  done 
to-day  finishes  my  life  here,  but  it  cannot  finish  my 
memories  of  life  and " 

"  What  are  you  planning  to  do.  Dr.  Stanton,  if  I 
may  ask.'" 

"  I  do  not  yet  know.  The  platform  is  free  to  me. 
Out  in  the  world  the  people  whom  I  have  loved  are 
culling  mt  with  their  myriad  voices  of  appeal.  But 
all  this  is  of  no  interest  to  you.  Will  you  allow  me 
to  say,  however,  since  it  will  not  harm  you,  I  have  loved 
you  these  years  of  my  cowardice  and  I  know  it  has 


8SJ 


THE   IIKAUT   OF  Till:   UOKL 


D 


i, 

Ml 

H 


'i 


bttn  a  noble  Ihiiiir  for  it  h 


inng  for  it  has  cnmMvi]  n.e.     In  part- 
».K  from  .vou  1  leave  the  be.^t  1  have  known  " 

.Mark  IJurns." 

"  DhI  ^ou  not  say  once,  Dr.  Stanton,  that  I  w«,  like 
the^  c-Wcter   of  Janet    Arnold    in    T,e   CHr.n.^ 

"I  did.     You  sat  for  that  portrait;  it  was  my  joy 
to^^have  your  presence   with  m.   .hile   writing  {he 

"Then  do  you  still  think  I  would  do  as  Janet  Ar- 
nold chd  and  forgive  and-and  forget-her  lover's 
coward.ce  on  account  of-^n  account  of- " 

The  minister  had  risen  and  had  come  over  to  where 
^liss  Mildred  v,as  sitting. 

"  Because  she  loved  him  so?  Oh,  Mildred-do  you 
mean — you  love "  "  juu 

"  I  will  do  as  Janet  Arnold  did-if  there  is  a  place 
m  your  Christian  Socialism  for  me  " 

"The  first  place  of  all,"  said  the  Rev.  Fredrick 
Stanton  as  he  kneeled  before  her. 

"No"  she  said  after  a  moment  while  the  happy 
tears  fell  over  her  farn «  ««  i    „         '"^PPJ 

Z\   }  ^  '"  ^°"  ^■^°">'-     I  believe  in  your 

heart  beliefs.     I  have  grown  to  believe  since  I  read 
your  book,  '  Mark  Burns  '  " 

^r^lZr"^'  '"^  ""*"*'•'■' "  "'  -'-^  -  '« 

"I  know  il  all  along,"  she  said  laughingly.     "I 

""  '^  ""'y  P"-"™  in  ".<^  parish  of  St   Cocllfa  that 


THE  DIS^L()SURE 


88 


^now.     Have  I  not  k 


coward  with 


you 


opt  ii   well?     I  wanted  to  be 


But  now,"  ho  Hsked,  h  little 


into  the  clear  ^r 


troubled,  as  he  gazed 


the  storniv  hfe  that 
this— cast  in  jour  lot 


y  eyes,  "  now,  can  you  follow  nic 


in 


•«  inevitable?     Can  you  bear  all 

people,  and 


with 


mine;  with  the 


enter 

; ■  ""  "*".>  "^'P  lo  make,  as  my  wife. 

as  my  companion,  my  very  self?  " 

She  raised  her  face  to  his  and  let  him  kiss  her  for 
he  first  time.  "Yea,"  she  answered.  « Whither 
hou  goest  I  will  go,  and  where  thou  lodgest  I  wi 
lodge;  thy  people  shall  be  „.y  people,  and  thy  God  my 
God;  where  thou  diest  will  I  die,  and  there' will  I  bl 
buned.  the  Lord  do  so  to  me.  and  more  also,  if  augh 
but  death  part  thee  and  me."  ^ 

;'But  you  have  sacrificed  much,"  she  added. 

smile     ':r"T  '^'"^'^.'''  '"  ^"^^'^^^^  -*'^  «  glorified 
smile.        I  have  gamed  far  .noro  than   „   bishopric 

s^nce  I  have  both  thee  and  a  free  conscience  with  I  h 
to  face  the  wide  world." 

ril'p^'"\''""  !^".  "'"'^'^  "^'^P*  ^•°"'-  "^^«««ge,  Fred- 
rick?" she  asked  after  a  moment. 

"It  remains  to  be  seen,"  he  answered  slowly.     "It 

th:t   h"  '"'""  1  ""''  ^°"^  ''-'  *-  >--  now 

that  the  coinmon  people  were  ready  for  the  message  of 
Jesus  to  the  social  life  of  men." 

.hl^lV^  *^f.  *'""'  ^^'  "°*  ^'^  ^"'n^'  ^h«t  then?" 
jte  '"^  ^"^  "P  "'  ''""  •"  ^°""^^-«  f-th  ar  ' 

"Then  let  me  be  true  to  my  promise.    Woe  is  me, 


n 


Pi^^.v:r^7i---A.v:jiii><;^iMir!k^i 


84        THE   HEART  OF   THE   WORLD 

Mildred  if  I  preach  not  this  Gospel  of  a  social  Christ 
to  men. 

"Woe  to  me  also,"  she  whispered.     He  realized  in 
some  degree  the  crisis  for  them  both.     And  as  he  bent 
and  kissed  her  she  looked  up  at  him  not  questioning 
his  strength,  and  fearless  of  any  evil  in  the  future, 
he  prayed  this  prayer-"  Grant,  Lord,  for  both  of  us 
thy  peace,  as  together  we  face  the  needs  and  sorrows 
and  wants  and  sins  and  yearnings  and  hopes  and  pos- 
sibilities of  the  great  wide  world  that  needs  more  than 
anything  else  the  daily  presence  in  its  social  life  of 
Jesus  Christ  the  Carpenter,  the  Son  of  God  and  the 
Son  of  man." 


I 

I' 

1 


»"JIJi*.««'»»WiW 


m  M 


in 

THE   COMRADESHIP   OF   LOVE 

EXTRACT  from  the  Lenox  Daily  Times  the 
morning  after  tlie  scene  in  Saint  Cecilia,  where 
the  Rev.  Fredrick  Stanton  revealed  his  author- 
ship of  the  book  called  I'he  Christian  Socialist: 

"  The  result  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stanton's  action  will 
be   watched   with   the   greatest   interest.     In   reality 
what  he  has  done  is  a  challenge  to  the  Church  in 
general.     There  are  churches  in  America,  no  doubt, 
where  the  author  of  The  Christian  Socialist  could 
remain  and  teach  his  doctrines  from  the  pulpit,  but 
Saint  Cecilia  is  not  one  of  them,  and  the  astonishing 
charge  of  Bishop   Lee  at   the  close  of  the   regular 
charge  to  the  candidate  yesterday  may  be  taken  as  the 
utterance  of  the  conservative   wing  of  the   Church 
in  general.     The  public  will  be  more  than  interested 
to  know  what  the  famous  author  of  The  Christian 
Socialist  will  do.     The  Times  is  frank  to  say  it  does 
not  believe  at  all  in  the  implied  teachings  of  that 
really  remarkable  book.     To  our  mind  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Stanton  has  simply  stirred  up  unnecessary  trouble  by 
his  book,  and  by  the  extraordinary  action  which  he 
took  yesterday.     Some  of  the  reforms  which  he  out- 

36 


1. 1. 

m 


S6   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

m  human  expononco.     Others  arc  open  to  very  „ave 
quesfon.     The  .vorld  is  no.  prepared  for  sueh'radToI 
changes  ,n  .ts  social  pr„^.ram„,e.     There  are  sZ 

work  at  all  when  :,ou  try  to  apply  torn,  to  the  kind 
of    u„,a„  ty  that  actually  exists;  „„,i,  the  worL    "a! 

society ,  do  business,  and  make  noUf ,Ve   fl,       u 
T^/i^  rn   •  ^-       o  "laivi-  poimcs,  the  schemes  of 

Ihe  Christian  Socialist  will  be  simnlv  .;=•  ^ 

impracticable.     We  are  of  fhn  ■  "^  ^"^ 

Fredrick  St     f      i      7  "P'"'"""  *^'^*  ^^e  Rev. 

extremel'         :  ''"  '"*  ^  ^°«^  J°^  -^  -"  And  it 
extremely  c  •>  c-ujt  to  secure  another." 

One  week  later,  the  Lenox  Times  contained  the 
announcement  of  the  marriage  of  "Miss  MHd red 
R  dne.y,  daughter  of  Judge  Royal  Rodnev,  of  the 
District    Court,    to    Rev.    Frcvrick    St«nf  r.  T 

Author  of  The  Christinn  ^n         .       f  '    ^•^•' 

<5o-  *   r.    .,.       V     '  'S^fwZesf,  and  late  Pastor  of 

Saint   Cecilia   Church."     The   Times   went   on   in   a 
column-long  "story"  to  unfold  this  latest  news: 

"This  latest  phase  of  the  Stanton  sensation  is  in 

a    the  r!|  "  '"^  ^'''"  ^°^"^y  --  P-formed 

at  the  Rodney  residence,  with  the  family  only  as  wit 

nesses.     Judge  Rodney  is  said  to  be  reconciled  to  Tk 

-tch,  but  rumor  has  it  that  Mrs.  Rodn  J ^a   p    3    ^ 

society.     There  ,s  a  story  going  the  rounds  that 


Tin-:  coimADESHip  of  love      sr 

o™clus,„„  of  ,1.0  coro,™„,..     Dr.   S,.„t„„  cJui    I 
.«  0    .,  ,,„„„,g  3,,„,^  „„,  ,,  ,_^  ^^  cong^tulatcT  ' 
l«""g   «„„    a    ,„„,t    thoroughly    acco„,ph-shcd   a,. 
^l.-™,„g  „,fe.     When  ,,co„  h,  a  K„..   'portt  t   : 

:::,:i..';^ "'""''  -^  '""=  "'■*'  -'^  ^-'-^  p-™ 

■.sJori,'"' '  V  ■™"  *'"■?  -"^  ""•'•' "     "■•■^drick  Stanton 

n      I„,         ;;■  ,h";  '"*  •"™  ^•''■"^  '^e  newspaper 
out  loml.     She  that  «a,  once  the  proud  daughter  of  a 

proud  and  oxelusive  fan.il,-  ,o„kod  at  her  hu  band 
"«  of  eve,  that  revealed  a  nature  tra„sf„rn,ed  by  a 
redenung  love  which  „,ake,,  a„  „„>„,,„  p„,,.y^  ''^ 

™,-le  °"'  "  J"^'  °'  ^o"  '>'"'•  »l>e  said  with  . 

.aZ'!";;;^'^    ■  *°  ""^  -y--  "'»>■'.  ""''  it  make 
«n  '^  •  •  lous  between  us?" 

Dovouwant     -^   fo  quarrel  with  you?" 

,b,e.^""  "  '^  "''"^' '  •'^"^*''  '  """k  it  -uld  be  advis- 

l  Then  I  say  I  shall  never  do  it." 
"  But  you  arc  now.  " 

«  MiW  \1  '  "'■"  "''"  ^°  ^'  ^^^-'  -y  Jove." 
sider  us  ^ood  for  copy  from  now  on  ?  " 
It  does  not  trouble  me  any  » 

"Not  even  if  they  describe  in  detail  our  wall-i,an.r 
and  our  eating  habits  at  the  table  P  "  ^^*' 

"I  shall  be  too  busy  to  read  them.     Besides,  have 


.;! 


38 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


you  not  learned  jet,  dear  man,  that  I  am  perfectly 
satisfied,  and  care  naught  for  what  all  the  world  says, 
knowing  yoi    as  I  do?  " 

"Thank  God,"  said  the  mirister  to  himself  gently. 

"•^There  is  no  doubt  in  her  dear  mind. 
Tis  heaven  born  and  het. -en  kind.'" 

"Mildred,  I  wish  your  mother  liked  me  better  » 
"  She  likes  you  better  than  you  imagine.    Mother  is 
not  implacable.     But  of  course  she  does  not  under- 
stand you.        For  that  matter  she  does  not  under^ 
stand  me." 

"But  your  father -'» 

"  He  has  studied  these  things.     I  think  at  heart  he 
believes  some  of  your  doctrines.     The  rest  of  it  is 

vatve  ""  *'"'*°''^'  ^""^  ^^"'''  ^'  ^^"t^°"«l3^  <^onser- 

II  You  are  not  sorry  you  married  me.?" 

II I  shall  be  if  you  ever  ask  that  question  again." 
Pardon,   dear  woman.      I   have   not   yet   become 

accustomed  to  the  great  fact  that  Mildred  Rodney  is 
mj  wife.    I  am  still  dreaming." 

"  It  is  a  pleaesant  dream.?  " 

"  It  is  heaven  for  me." 

"  Please,  then,  do  not  wake  up." 

M^r^r  ^  ^°'  "''  ^^^  ''^''°"  ^^"  ^'  J"«t  as  beautiful. 
Ml  dred,  you  are  sure,  sure-of  all  this  boundless 
laitii  in  one  poor,  incomplete  human?" 

She  came  up  and  sat  down  on  the  arm  of  his  chair 
and  put  her  hand  on  his  lips. 


-■m:  -n.ii^ 


THE    COMRADESHIP   OF   LOVE        39 

"Another  word  of  that,  sir,  and  I  go  home  to  my 
mother.  Fredrick,  a  woman  like  me  gives  all,  with- 
out reser\-e,  when  she  gives.  I  am  not  perfect,  and  I 
shall  doubtless  disappoint  your  ideals.  But  I  V.ve  you, 
and  believe  in  you  to  the  last  atom  of  my  being.' 
When  I  cease  to  do  that  I  shall  be  dead." 

He  remembered  that  passionate  outburst  of  his  wife 
as  long  as  he  lived.  It  was  framed  m  his  memory  in 
golden  lettering,  where  he  saw  it  during  many  and 
many  a  crisis  of  trying  events  that  passed  this  man 
and  wife  through  the  furnace  of  testing,  where  noth- 
ing but  an  inexhaustible  love  for  each  other  could  pos- 
sibly have  made  the  experiences  bearable. 

After  a  moment  she  said: 

"  You  are  going  down  to  speak  to  the  st/ikers  this 
evening.? " 

"  Yes,  they  have  invited  me  to  their  conference." 
"Can  I  go  too.'" 

"  I  don't  know,"  her  husband  answered  hesitatingly. 

"Do  you  want  to  go.?" 

"  Certainly  I  do,  if  it  is  allowable  for  me  to  come." 
"I  don't  think  Harvey  will  object.     But  the  men 

may  not  like  it.    I  understand  they  are  getting  to  be 

ugly,  and  I  am  seriously    pprehensive  of  real  trouble." 
"You  would  rather  I  wouldn't  go.?" 
"  On  the  whole,  yes.     It  is  an  unnecessary  risk." 
"How  about  yourself,  Fredrick?"  Mildred  spoke 

reproachfully. 

"  I  don't  believe  there  is  any  danger." 
"  But  you  just  said  there  was." 


\u 


(i  1 


'  "  ; 

1 

i 

\\ 

1    : 

.■ 

;       J    i 

1 

1 

40        THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

"I  said  there  was  a  risk." 

"  And  jou  don't  want  ,„e  to  lake  it  and  you  are 
going  .nto.t  .ourself.  Is  this  your  boasted  woman 
equality  before  the  law?"  "woman 

"  I  am  a  nmn,"  he  said  simply.    "  gay  what  you  will 
about  w„„«n's  rights  and  all   that,  you  know  we 
enough  Mildred,  I  have  never  preaehed  nor  beHeved 
m  my  book  or  elsewhere,  in  any  other  vision  of  woman 
hood  exeept  that  which  my  own  mother  enshrinX 
her  own  holy  of  holies.    Woman  may  be  entitled  to  a" 
h    legal  and  poht.eal  and  soeial  rights  of  man,  but 

^irength  and  proteot.o,,  and  love  as  a  eompanion,  that 

"  Still,  while  all  this  is  true,  my  love,  I  do  not  want 
you  to  any  unnecessary  risks  with  these  striker,. 

Be  careful,  won't  you,  Fredrick  !     What  should  I  do 
It  anything  were  to  happen  to  you?" 

'■Are  you  so  dependent  on  me  then,  dear  one?" 

You  are  all  to  me,"  she  said,  and  the  words  sang 

n  his  heart  „,  he  went  down  to  the  place  of  the  meet- 

ng  that  evening,  the  vision  of  his  wife  in  all  her  love- 

i.ne.ris.g  in  his  soul  into  an  almost  painful  ecst:; 

The  Lenox  strike  had  been  in  progress  now  for  over 
e^ght  month.     The  long  brick  row  of  mill.  d^nZ 

tin7crj'""«"'^  ''"""■    The  machinery  Z 
^  ^^""'^^  ^^  simplicity  itself.    The  mill 


THE    COMRADESHIP   OF   I.OAE        41 
corap„„y  h,..,     ,p,„,,.,  „,^  „„^.___^.^__ 

..  h  the  pres,cie„l.     TI,o  »p„ko„„a„  of  „,o  ecnnittc. 
had  made  the  statement  to  the  suporinten.lent  that 
»as  contrary  tu  the  rules  of  the  Union  tli.t  n 
men  should  work  in  the  mill     T.  "<>"-U"ion 

oiiv  in  tne  mjll.    The  supirnitendent  had 
cut  h,„,  short  by  saying  the  co„,pa„v  had  de.id  d  "o 
n^fcy  any  ,„,,„  „,,o  eould  do  the  .-ok,  regardles 
the  Union.     The  co,„„,iftce  barked  out  of  the  office 

out  of  the  buildmg,  seven  million  dollars'  worth  of 

^-.e„be«:::;:L;Lr:r,::t,Trr 

»eary,  wasteful,  unchristian  months 

That  was  the  story  of  ,l,e  great  Lenox  strike  down 
to  the  evening  when  Fredrick  Stanton  bad  been  inrt  d 
by  Bruce  Harvey,  the  President  of  the  Union,  to  speak 
at  the  meeting  ,„  the  Hall  to  the  men,  who  for  ^  r 
h.lf  a  year  had  been  loafing  about  the  streets  and  in 

he  saloons  of  Lenox,  doing  nothing,  earning     ot! 

SsraLZir^f^rroTir"^ 

the  best  w.ay  to  advance  theZlTlZCX^ 
So  far   here  had  not  been  an  act  of  violence    Har- 
'ey  had  1,1,  men  well  in  hand.     To-ni^ht   as  St.nt!, 
went  up        t,,  „,„,,„^^  ^^^  ^^^  t,fl:tTZ 
could  read  al   sorts  of  things  in  his  face  and  ma" 

H  Vir"  )''/'"'%'''  "  -'-i".  »ell-defi„cd  type 
He  was  not  educated,  yet  he  knew  better  than  most 


iil 


■1  *: 


t 


i 


«        THE   HEART   OF   THE   WORLD 

professors  of  political  cc„„„:„y  .„d  sociologv  i„  ,he 
umvers,t,es,  .l,c  history  a„d  writings  of  the  entire 
labor  movement.     He  had  saturated  hinselT  ir  h 
doclnnes  of  Karl  Marx,  and  eould  quote  exact  v  and 
«p.ou,I,  ft„„    ,1  the  Socialistic  writers,  Blat  hfo" 
Hy„d„,a„    Jackoby,  Rautusky,  To™  M^n,  Cl  f 

•'Mother".„nes:;/Erc:r„':::,fs 
Ministers  as  a  parasi::r:,:-t,iVe;;XTu2;::'' 

oTthTir"^"'"^^*'''-'^'' "■■'■' ^-'>=«""^ 

With  .11  this  true  of  him,  Harvey  had  kindly  and 
generous  personal  qualities  that  endeared  him  to  the 
Td  n  '"of  trxT  "'  """  '"  "'•■  '°  "-'  P'-e  of  Pr*! 

buil  g  °  i::r:7  '""t'-nT"  ""• « ■-- « 

To-nihtit.      •  """'    ''y    *^'    Union, 

lom^ht  ,t  was  jammed,  aisles  and  gallery,  with  a 
restk„.  n„.y  mob  of  nearly  three  thousand      Th^ 
street  outside  was  packed  with  -=  „ 
»nd  one  of  the  Union  I.  !l  T^  """  I""?'"' 

crowd  there  when  H.,^  ''"^"7""  ''"'"S^-g  'he 
men  insii  ^  '""^""''  S'^""'"  '»  'ke 

SUnton  came  forward,  and  the  men  gave  him  a 


II :? 


THE    COMRADESHIP   OF   LOVE        43 

somewhat  boisterous  v.clco.nc.  Most  of  them  had  read 
his  book,  Hiid  while  the  majority-  of  them  had  no  use 
for  him  as  a  minister,  they  considered  him  as  an  exceu- 
tion,  and  were  ready,  so  Stanton  thought,  to  give  him 
a  respectful  hearing. 

He  began  by  expressing  his  gratification  at  the  good 
order  tliat  had  i.revaiLd  among  the  men  during  the 
progress  of  the  strike,  and  then  went  on  to  make  a 
frank  statement  concerning  his  opinions  of  the  strike 
in  general.  He  quoted  three  or  four  well-known  labor 
loaders  with  telling  effect,  and  the  men  were  quiet, 
though  Harvey,  sitting  there  with  his  dark  eyes 
sombre,  and  brows  contracted,  easilv  detected  a  mark 
of  restless  dissent  from  Stanton.  Perhaps  Stanton  saw 
It  too.  If  so,  he  gave  no  sign,  but  went  on  calmly  to 
say  just  what  he  believed. 

"President  Harve>  asked  me  to  say  what  I  believed 
IS  the  remedy  for  the  troubles  that  exist  between  Cap- 
ital and  Labor  in  this  country.     I'm  not  goincr  to 
quote  the  statements  made  in  the  writings  of  most 
Socialist    authors.     Vou     are    familiar    with   them. 
There  is,  however,  one  great  factor  which  I  do  not 
find  mentioned  by  any  of  them,  which,  to  my  mind,  is 
the  greatest  of  all.     The  Great  Workman  of  the  ages 
mentioned  it  very  many  times  in  his  talks  with  the 
multitude.     Indeed,  so  far  as  I  can  discover,  he  made 
mention  of  no  other  remedy  for  human  troubles  of 
every    description.     That    remedy    was,    not    bigger 
wages,  fewer  hours,  more  land,  bigger  houses,  finer 
clothes,  boiler  food,  but  love  for  one  another.     That 


ii 
I 


m 


in 
111 


s    \ 


IK&tSraiW  ''3SSII?TTI:I^S^^'-'Si 


44 


THE   HEART  OF   THE   WORLD 


11 


nrcorclm^  to  Christ,  is  the  greatest  nract.Vnl  i 

'•-•  "II  the  trouhlos  of  tho  worh!  "      ^  """''' 

tJ'ZTy'f''''''y''''''''''''-^^'^^^-  Stan- 
ton took  a  vtcp  f„r„ar,I.  Before  he  could  speuk  a 
<i')/cn   voices   rose      "'r'l,;.      •   .^  ,  ^ 

,,•,,,  /"'■         *''"*  '»'"t  no  church."     "  \Vc 

tiuin  t  come  m  licre  to  lisfo^  *  i  • 

Iik<     nil    the    re       o'    tt  r  «•''     "  ^^'"^ 

"llarvej!"  preachers  !  »     «  Karvej,  i  » 

Stanton   waited  quietly   until   he  could  be  heard 
/'""    ;^•^""'    -»"J.  "I'm  not  here  to  be^  for, 

„„^    J     ^  '  ^"^  ^"'^  a  hearing  with  n 

"o  d  of  „„„  „,,„  ^^^^  _^_^  ^^  can    "     '  " 

Ho  walkod  back  t.  Ms  chnir  and  sal  do.„      TI,o 

Bullj.    for   you,    ,pe„k„!"     .-Go    „„ !    Go    on'" 
Other  v„,cc.,   however,  called  out  for  Harvey.     sTan- 

i:f ::X '"'""  ^^""'-  "--^  '°°^'''  «*  >■'"■ 

"^"iriSf;;-:;:--.an.o„. 

^^^•^They  don-l  l,avc  to  listen  to  n.e,"  Stanton  said 

"  Fools ! »  Harvey  exploded.  Then  he  got  ud  with 
.  onnd  and  in  one  stride  was  leaning  ovfr  the^::'! 
"ghts.     H,s  long  arm  shot  out  with  rough  and  vicious 


mam 


THE    COMKADESIIIP   OF    LOVE        45 

gesture,  an<I  every  nm„  in  ti.e  luill  felt  as  if  something 
had  struck  iiiiii  in  the  face. 

"  Hain't  you  got  sense  enough  yet,"  he  roared,  « to 
know  that  it's  the  „.en  that  d<,n't  believe  like  we  do 
that  can  sonKtin.es  teach  „s  the  ,„„,st?  I  don't  beheve 
half  the  stuff  Dr.  Stanton  preaches,  |,ut  I've  «ot 
«cnse  enough  lo  keep  still  while  he's  talkin^-,  and  then 
tell  bun  so  when  he's  got  done.  And  what  difference 
does  ,t  nmke  to  him  anyhow  if  yot,  .lon't  listen,  the 
n.an  that's  got  a  hearing  through  the  press  and 
tne  platforn.  a  million  tin.es  bigger'n  this  ;  what's  the 
sense  of   trying  to  howl  hin,  dovvn!     Dr.  Stanton  is 

of  he  I  latfonn  Committee,  and  by  thunder,  if  you 
don  t  treat  him  civilly  you  can  go  to  kingdon.  come 
tor  a  new  chairman  !  " 

He  stopjK.l  suddenly  and  walked  back  to  his  chair. 
The  crowd  cheered  good-naturedly.     Cries  of  «  Stan- 
ton Stanfon!"  went  up  all  over  the  hall.     He 
nodded  H.  response  to  Harvey's  questioning  look  and 
r        .nd  went  forward.  There  was  vigorous  applause 
Kh.ch   ceased  the   minute   he  began.     In   that   hush 
Stanton  thought  he  could  hear  through  the  open  win- 
dows an  unusually  loud  roar  fron,  the  crowd  outside 
Several  faces  in  the  hall  turned  toward  the  windows, 
and  at  the  back  of  the  hall  a  nun.ber  of  men  went  out. 
Hut  It  was  quiet  enough  inside,  «s  Stanton  said  • 

As  I  was  remarking,  according  to  Christ,  the 
most  practical  remedy  for  all  the  troubles  of  the  world 
is  love,  and  that  is  the  one  remedy  that  you  soc.-.i 


U 


46 


THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 


t'^     : 


Ubor  Icder.  Uvo  the  let  „  ..,  „b„„,      ^  ^ 
B«rlm     just    announced.     It    i,    .    ,|„.,„„,i„„    „, 

"'1.  One  vote  for  every  adult,  man  and  woman- 
a  hohda.yo  be  election  da,;  p„,,ent^^ 

X.    J  he  government  to  be  responsible  to  parlin- 
ment ;  local  solf-govornment ;  referendum.  ^ 

^^^3.  Introduction  of  the  militia  system 

pre«       ^"'^""    "^    '^'''^    "'^    ^-^^"^    of    the 

;;;5.  Equalit^^  of  man  and  woman  before  the  law 

„.;•  "'sestabhshmcnt  of  the  Churches 

7.  Undenominational   schools,   with   compulsorv 
attendance  and  gratuitous  tuition.  ^         ^ 

;;;8.  Cratutiousness  of  legal  proceedings. 

^^   9^Gratu.tous  medical  attendance  and  burial. 

duty.*  ^°*'"""     "^^'"^   *^-     -d     accession 

"This  is  not  the  whole  platform,  but  it  embraco, 
the  mam  th.ngs  contended  for.  Now,  of  cour  e  I 
beheve       all  these  things.     They  seem  reason      e  to 

Bu't  I  th"7r  u'"  *''  "^^"^'"^  -«"  ^^Sht  to  have 
But  I  thmk  that  both  employer  and  employed  need 
.no  e  than         ,^        ,,,^^  ^^  ,^^.^  ^  ^^^^P  ^  .>^      need 

love  for  each  other.  'Man  shall  not  live  by  bread 
alone,'  .  a  profound  economic  staten.nt  'if  he 
laboring  masses  succeed  by  the  ballot  or  by  legis Lt  on 
-  getting  these  things  for  the  physical  life^  It  I 


\ 


i 


'iTm 


THE    rOMHADKSIIIP   OF    LOVii        47 

not  get  love  to  man  and  love  to  God,  it  will  profit 
them  nothing.  All  true  progress  towards  an  ideal 
social  condition  is  based  on  a  deeply  religious  founda- 

on.  That  is  what  all  your  socialist  leaders  Imvc 
left  out.  They  clamor  for  the  bread,  but  it  is  bread 
alone.  And  when  you  get  it,  it  will  not  satisfy  you, 
because  a  man  cannot  live  by  bread  alone." 

It  is  doubtful  if  ten  men  in  the  hall  understood 
Stanton.  He  was  conscious  of  that,  but  was  going 
on,  when  a  roar  of  voices  outside  rose  so  fierce  and 
sudden  that  hundreds  of  men  sprung  to  their  feet  all 
over  the  house. 


^1 

If 


IV 


m^ 


THEIR   OWN   WORST  EXEMIES 


ond  his  voice  roared  over  ft    u  ^  ""^  P'^tfo™, 

force  !    No  violet  TVl''"''  "'  ""^  "»'  "  ^'o 
-  «I,  have  tal  e^into  al;     ?  ■'"■    "=-'«'" 
-b  .urged  towards  .he  exi  T/ ,1°  t",,"-     ^''^ 
"Kill   the  scabs!"     "Ha'^.       ,'      '"'"  ^'"'"8' 
Men  fought  for  the:,.  1*^      ""  '        "Kill   'em!" 
those  in  L„    to  ;  „'';^:  ;«"'"!,'  "-^  -"  '-h  of 
H«"ey  ju„,ped  ofe    t  e   /ooT  f r"  "'  ""^  -"'• 
heads  of  the  frenzied   h!^r         *      •  '■'«'"   ™   'h'= 

-"".ing  ;  cursiug,  ,f„d'thrt  t„    g    a"'  ^f   'f.  '" 
all  in  one  brcatJi      Thn         '-**'''"'"g'  «nd  pleading 

-d  fought  for  the  I;r"  ""^'  '^'^  ''^    -^-n 

Stanton's   next  recollection   was   of  «    U      .m 
-nent,  .hen  he  found  hi.self  Le  to  ff    ''?; 
Harvej  out  doors  in  front  of  the  hal  •  ,^    .      '''*'' 
the  surroundino-  mnh  ha,  •  '  ^"'^  ^"^^c  of 

«o™  the  sta  rf.r  if  1    "f.'"l"'™  ''°"'  ""'  »"<' 
bursting    reserv'o  r      S U    ^'s"  T"'  °''  ^■""' 

had  been  the  sa„,e  as  Har "^V    ™'';  1""°    """'«'" 
to  train  men  to  keep  awav  fro„  a     V     "  ™'  """« 

""«'°'™--««-tTa:o:tvX"rr 

48 


*^  -- 


*'**2SS^sai;„  :^_^_^ 


P'^f'j^^^^lP'^^^SSf^ 


THEIR    OWN    WORST   ENEMIES       49 

It  i^  not  impossible  to  accomplish  the  first  task;  it  is 
practically  useless  to  attempt  the  second. 

Stanton  looked  his  interrogation  at  Harvey.  The 
President  of  the  Union  had  lost  his  hat,  his  collar 
was  missing,  and  one  sleeve  of  his  coat  was  torn  clean 
off.  He  was  perfectly  self-possessed,  and  answered 
btanton  s  silent  query,  by  saying,  "The  game's  up! 
They  won't  listen  to  reason.  Cold  lead's  the  only 
hing  now.  And  I  hope  to  God  every  fool  in  the 
Union  will  catch  his  dose." 

Then   a  fierce   current   of  different   nationalities, 
composed  of  half-drunken,  howling,  swearing,  fight- 
ing strikers,  poured  in  between  Harvey  and  Stanton, 
and  the  next  vivid  recollection  of  the  events  of  that 
night  that  Stanton  had  was  of  seeing  a  negro  sur- 
rounded by  the  mob.     This  was  down  by  the  mills 
The  negro  was  tall,  burly,  and  was  fighting  for  his 
Me.     His   clothes  hung   about  him   in   rags,   blood 
streamed  over  his  face,  ashen-hued  and  sickly  through 
Its  black  pigment,  while  the  screaming,  frenzied  mob 
plucked  at  him,  and  struck  him  with  fists  and  clubs 
and  stones.     He  was  still  on  his  feet  when  Stanton 
reached  him.     He  mistook  Stanton  for  an  ene,ny,  and 
struck  him  a  tremendous  blow  on  the  face.     Stanton 
reeled,  but  recovered,  flinging  his   arms   about   the 
man  and  in  doing  so  received  a  dozen  stunning  blows 
on  the  head  and  body.     He  felt  faint  and  knew  that 
consciousness  was  going.     The  next  instant  he  fell 


bearing  down  with  him  the 


down,  he  was  aware  of  a  disch 


negro,  and  as  they  went 


iarge  of  guns  that 


-i 


'1. 


A 


:  I 


50   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

roared  over  and  through  the  mob  with  grim  certaJntv 
Then  he  felt  the  trampHng  rush  of  many  feet  str  ^ 
ing  has  prostrate  body,  and  after  that  he  knew  noth- 
rng  more,  until  he  came  to  himself,  to  find  his  wife 
kneehng  over  h,m,  wiping  the  blood  from  his  face 
and  callmg  him  by  name.  ' 

"Fredrick!     Fredrick!     This  is  terrible!     There 
dear!     Does  that  feel  better?"  ' 

He  was  in  great  pain,  but  he  smiled  at  her,  and 
managed  to  let  her  know  that  he  was  not  sh  t  or 
fa  aUy  hurt.  Men  were  still  running  about,  and  sev- 
eral dark  forms  were  on  the  ground.  The  ^egro  lav 
party  under  Stanton.  Some  one  came  rnnZlZ 
hastily  and  got  down  by  Stanton.  It  was  HafveT 
tteroirb.'°°'^"^^^-*^^-^---^"^ove^ 

"Oh,  Mrs.  Stan'  i  !  P^  Harvey,  I'll  get  Dr 
Stanton  home.  You're  not  shot. P  You  wenf  down 
.ust  in  tim.  That  was  a  brave  deed,  andlS  never 
i^orget  It.     I  saw  the  whole  thing  » 

and  the  negro  over  to  the  office  of  the  mill  company 

"What'll  we  do  with  him.P"  asked  Harvey  of  the 
doct.,pomtmg  to  the  negro,  who  was  stilfun^^^^^ 
Stanton  heard  him. 


'WiJ^-^&i^-ilSS^'-'^T 


"M  .v#^/ 


1 


THEIR    OWN    WORST   ENEMIES       51 

So  Ihc  „,.,„  „■„,  sent  along  in  the  ambulance  with 
J.™,  and  Mrs.  Stanton,  witl,  the  help  of  a  neighbor's 
«.fe,  nursed  and  tended  both  patients  until  morninB, 
wh.ch  br„ugl,t  with  it  the  relief  of  the  doctor's  assuf 
»nce  that  ne.ther  Stanton  nor  his  unexpected  guert 
were  in  any  danger.  ** 

TJie  Lenox  Times  summed  up  the        ,1c  afFair  next 
mornmg: 

"Six  killed,  twentj-four  seriously  wounded.     The 
soldiers   fired   only   after  everything  else  had   been 
done  to  disperse  the  mob.     Bruce  Harvey  is  emphatic 
m  his  denunciation  of  the  men  who  led  off  In  the 
attack  on  the  scab   workmen.     Most  of  them  were 
negroes,  brought  up  here  last  night  by  the  cor  pany, 
who  hoped  to  got  thorn  inside  while  the  strikers  wefe 
holding  the  meeting  uptown.     The  guards  had  grown 
careless,  and  it  was  all  through  an  accident  that  the 
design  of  the  company  was  discovered.     As  usual,  bad 
whisky  figured  in  tho  affair  to  a  large  extent.     The 
first  trouble  started  /rom  the  saloon  on  B  street.     One 
of  the  negroes,  who  was  badly  beaten,  was  rescued 
by  Dr.  Stanton,  and  is  now  at  his  house.     Mrs.  Stan- 
ton was  uneasy  over  hor  husband,  and  hearing  the 

one  of  1    7:  7T''  '°^"  "^^^  *^^  -"'  -^  -- 
on     of  the  first  to  be  present  just  after  the  fatal 

volley  was  fired.     We  are  happy  to  state  that  Dr. 

t=>tanton  is  not  dangerously  hurt.     The  whole  awful 

affair  is  a  logical  outcome  of  the  strike,  which  is  to  be 

deplored  from  every  point  of  view.     It  is  useless  to 


I!  f 


^^\4 


m 


]    i 


lKI^'2ff'.lF.W^' 


r 


52 


THE   HEART  OF   THE   WORLD 


\m  if 


argue  w,th  .  mob,  but  the  responsibility  for  this  loss 
-  ..fe  rests  w.th  the  Union.  Public  sentiment,  .-hich 
h.s  partly,  „t  least,  been  with  them,  is  now  whol  y  „i  h 
the  m.U  company.  Let  the  law  deal  quickly  and 
severely  with  the  guilty."  ' 

.  .'^"'■"  t  »•«''  Stanton  had  recovered  from  the 
.njunes  sufficenl  to  sit  up.     The  negn,  was  in  th 
ne^t  room,  „nd  still  in  bed,  unable  to  move  except 
Wj^h  great  dUBculty.     He  had  suffered  from  a  bTow 
whjch  had  crippled  his  back. 

rhe  man  looked  at  Stanton  somewhat  vacantly  at 
fir.^  and  then  Ins  face  cleared  up  as  he  said   pain- 

"I'm  feeling  pretty  bad,  Dr.  Stanton.  But  I 
don  t  know  what  would  have  become  of  me  if  you 
hadn  t  brought  me  here.  I'n.  awfully  sorry  I  struck 
jou  that  night.     I  didn't  know  » 

Stanton  put  his  hand  up  to  his  own  face  and  felt 
of  the  scar  on  his  cheek. 

;;  You  hit  hard.     But  I  threw  you  all  right." 
forget".'*  "  *'"'  "'  ^°"  '^'^^  -^  'i^-     I  -on't 

The  man  raised  a  grateful  face  towards  Stanton 
and  big  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks.  * 

After  a  while  Stanton  said  simply: 


iSimofWBii^AmM'Aik&JSBS^'^igsmm^m^^ 


.S&.&l^' 


i 


THEIR    OWX   WORST   ENEMIES       53 

n  the  stamp  n.ll  at  Harlan.     When  the  strike  began 

nl  /l     T"  M  """  "^*-     ^^'^'  ^'•°*h^'-  -«^  killed  dur- 
mg  the  trouble  at  Ball's  mill.     He  was  a  scab,  too. 

rien  I  came  up  here  with  the  crowd.  The  Lenox 
mil  agent  got  me  to  come  by  promise  of  big  pay  and 
protection.  I  need  the  work.  My  wife  ! „'  "^hree 
children  are  at  Harlan  now." 

I' Why  didn't  you  join  the  Union.?" 
"  Wr.ld  you  join  an  organization  that  killed  your 
own  brother,  and  then  threatened  to  kill  you  because 
you  wanted  work.?"  because 

Stanton  looked  at  the  man  and  was  silent.  His 
mmd  was  going  over  the  field  of  action  covered  by  the 
history  of  trades-unions,  and  all  the  good  and  bad 
commingled  that  the  organizations  had  been  so  far 
productive  of. 

"Besides  that.  Dr  Stanton,  in  one  of  the  shops  at 
Harkn  where  I  worked  for  si.  n,o„ths  as  a  helper, 
the  Umon  would  „„t  admit  a  black  ,„„„.  An,  I  to 
blame  for  be.ng  blaek?     All  I  a*  is  a  fair  chance  to 

thej  try  to  kill  me.     Is  that  rlo-ht '  " 

Stanton  did  not  reply.  Wh^t  answer  was  there  to 
a  cry  hke  that.^  After  a  little  more  talk  with  the  man 
fee  wen  back  to  his  room.  In  three  weeks  the  negro 
was  well  enough  to  £^t  up  and  leave  the  house.  He 
was  simply  one  human  life  that  drifted  into  the  cur- 


in  e 

hi   I 


i* 


\i 


^O^^^iK^m^ 


If 


I » 


54        THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

rent  of  the  lives  of  Fredrick  Stanton  and  his  wife 
Mildred,  one  out  of  hundreds  that  rapidly  became  a 
strange  and  vivid  part  of  their  history,  now  that  the 
world  had  become  their  parish  instead  of  Saint  Cecilia 
How  dnnmutive  and  contracted  that  little  parish  of 
the  Metropolitan  Church  seemed  to  both  of  them  now 
And  yet  Fredrick  Stanton  still  loved  the  Church,  and 
It  was  withm  range  of  possibility  for  him  to  go  back 
into  the  ministry. 

He  was  beginning  to  feel  perfectly  strong  again, 
and  was  looking  over  a  large  mail  containing  many 
invitations  to  lecture,  and  talking  over  the  matter 
with  his  wife,  when  Bruce  Harvey  called. 

After  inquiries  as  to  his  recovery,  and  the  where- 
abouts of  the  negro  scab,  Harvey  said  gloomily. 
Matters  look  bad  for  us,  Mr.  Stanton.  sTnce  that 
night  we  ve  steadily  lost  ground.  To-day  the  com- 
pany started  up  the  lower  mill  with  two  hundred  non- 
union men,  and  there  was  no  resistance.  It  looks  as 
if  we  were  going  to  lose  everything,  after  all  » 

"You  have  lost  public  sympathy.  Violence  is 
expensive  Besides,  your  cause  was  not  just,  to  begin 
with  The  public  will  never  really  endorse  a  strike 
that  began  like  this  one.  Of  course,  you  have  a  per- 
fect right  to  strike.  But  you  have  no  right  to  force 
all  men  into  your  Union,  or  dictate  to  them." 

"  Why  don't  they  join  the  Union  then ! »  burst  out 
Harvey,  with  one  of  his  fits  of  sudden  rage.  «  Why 
don't  they  see  what  is  good  for  them  and  help  organ- 
ize one  solid  compact  of  labor  !     The  scab  is  an  enemy 


^jrtss»a^i3iBr3S^Bmi^^}i^ 


THEIR    OWN    WOKST   ENEMIES       55 

of  the  workingman's  best  interests.  He  is  like  a 
traitor  in  the  republic.  And  while  I  did  my  best,  as 
you  know,  to  prevent  violence  or  force,  I  cannot  help 
feeling  bitter  toward  the  men  who  refuse  to  join  with 
us  in  a  common  fight  against  the  unjust  exactions  of 
Capital!" 

"  Of  course  I  don't  agree  with  your  point  of  view 
of  the  whole  question,  Mr.  Harvey.  I  think  the 
Labor  Unions  and  the  Socialistic  Parties,  and  the 
other  organizations  that  are  antagonistic  to  Capital, 
are  ignoring  the  one  greatest  thing  in  the  world  that 
can  bring  any  real  remedy  to  bear.  You  heard  me 
state  it  the  other  night.     I  don't  need  to  repeat  it." 

Harvey  was  silent,  his  large,  heavy  face  showed 
gloomy  and  doubtful. 

"  Mr.  Stanton,  I've  read  your  book  several  times, 
and  I  have  admired  it.   There  is  a  good  deal  in  it  to 
admire.     And  I'm  frank  to  say  I  admire  you  and  the 
course  you  have  taken.     But  tliere  are  some  things 
you  don't  know.     Pardon  me  for  saying  it.     You 
have  never  been  through  the  mill  yourself.     You  have 
studied  these  questions  and  mastered  them  in  one  way. 
But  the  real  reason  for  the  struggle  between  Capital 
and  Labor;  the  real  reason  wliy  the  -vorld  right  now 
is  moving  rapidly  toward   Socialistic   ideas   has   not 
been  really  grasped  by  you.     If  you  will  come  with 
me  to-night,  and  spend  three  or  four  hours  with  me 
right  here  in  Lenox,  I  think  I  can  show  you  why  it 
is  that  the  struggle  of  Labor  is  so  bitter,  why  it  is 
that  we  have  made  blunders  and  mistakes  like  the  one 


f; 


i    :    i 


iw 


■ar.'..  \};m\'m' 


56   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD   • 

the  other  night,  why  it  is  that  your  doctrine  of  Love 
as  you  call  it,  won't  work."  ' 

his"bertr'r°^°'"''^^^*'"*°"   ''^^'^y-     One  of 
h.    best  traits  was  an  unafFected  willingness  to  be 

pation  of  something  worth  while  that  he  accepted 
Harvey,  challenge.     Por  it  seemed  to  him  T'. 

moK^°"n'''"  "°*  ^'*  ™^  ^"«b«"^  '"to  any  more 
mobs,  will  you,  Mr.  Harvey?"  asked  Mildred.'^as T 
two  men  wont  out. 

'■I'll    promise    that,    Mr,.    Stanton,"     Harvey 
answered  with  a  grave  smile.     "  We  are  \rci.TZ 
by  the  mill  «„,  but  .here  is  no  ZlZr''  ''""' 

Stanton  k.ssed  his  wife  good-bye,  and  went  out 

p  se  R  7'  .:"""P'«"8  -™-Iy  the  man's  pu^ 
pose,  Bu  neither  of  them  will  ever  know  how  m^uch 
that  „.ght's  experience  had  to  do  with  the  shaping  °J 
ma^y  .mportant  events  in  the  life  of  each  L  of 


1 


z^'  r-^^mtiii^'imsr^m^ii^maiimssaK^T^::^^^ 


SHARP   CONTRASTS 

ON  the  waj  down  to  the  mills  Harvey  was  silent. 
When  they  reached  the  long  row  of  tenements 
where  the  mill  operatives  lived,  he  hesitated  a 
moment,  then  went  on  past  them  to  the  first  mill, 
where  the  work  was  being  resumed  by  the  non-union 
men. 

The  foreman,  who  knew  Harvey,  at  first  bluntly 

told  Inm  he  could  not  enter.     But  after  a  few  words 

he  stepped  aside  and  let  Harvey  and  Stanton  in,  fol- 

owing  them  in  the  round  they  slowly  made  through 

the  castmg-room,  where  the  men  were  at  work 

The  night  shift  was  being  initiated  into  its  duties 
by  snmll  gangs  of  men  familiar  with  the  details. 
Stanton  had  been  through  the  Lenox  mills  several 
times,  and  knew  quite  thoroughly  the  different  pro- 
cesses, but  the  sight  of  them  always  fascinated  L, 
and  he  never  lost  his  wonder  over  the  human  ingenuity 
which  fashioned  the  machinery  and  controlled  its 
movements. 

There  was  one  huge  contrivance  in  particular, 
.hich  always  seemed  like  a  monster  possessing  actual 
mtelhgence.  It  moved  on  a  steel  track  high  over  the 
billows  of  gas  and  smoke  that  filled  the  building,  and 

<7 


-tf 


^H 


n 


58 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


J    had  a  number  of  steel  arms  Hmt  rose  and  fell. 

of  wh.te  hot  n.etal.  and  dropping,  them  whereve'r  the 
god  of  the  mac  une  directed.     The  men  called  it  the 

Vict  ms't  /  • '  ""^'r'^  *'"^"  "  ^^-^  ^'  human 
victims  o  Its  gnm  credit,  who  had  carelessly  or  in- 
cautiously dasobeyed  the  mechanical  clock-like  exact- 
ness  of  ,ts  reach.  The  man  who  sat  up  in  its  cen  , 
directing  Its  tentacles,  was  like  a  human  spider.  He 
worked  his  levers  and  shouted  his  replies  to  order 
from  beneath  in  an  uncanny  bellow!  that  always 
--d  to   Stanton   like  the  voice   of'  the  machl': 

sJk7/'"*    *^'    '°""'*'    ^°^«'"«    *h^    Sloping 
parks,  steppmg  out  of  the  way  of  bars  of  white  steel! 

■that  swept  over  mysterious  tracks  on  cars  that  van- 
shed  With  their  loads  into  funiaces  shooting  from 
heir  mcandescent  openings  dazzling  great  splrs  of 
hght,  that  stabbed  the  toilers  with  unearthly  heat 
and  made  their  grimy  figures  take  on  for  the  while  the' 
vXaT"''  °^  '^""°"'  '"  '°"''  ""d^'-ground  smithy  of 

Stanton  wondered,  as  he  had  wondered  before, 
^f  It  all  paid,  really  paid,  this  pain  that  civ- 
ilization exacted  as  the  penalty  for  being  civilized, 
and  having  railroads,  and  steel  bridges,  and  things. 
And  these  were  his  brothers,  at  least  his  Christian 
faith  taught  him  that;  but  looking  at  them  there 
swarming  under  the  ^^ntacles  of  the  "Octopus,"  it 
was  not  easy  to  believe  chat  they  were  any  more    han 


■.•  ly. 


bllAHP    CONTRASTS  59 

parts  of  the  for^re,  wl.ith  coulfl  easily  bo  replaced  at 
so  much  a  day  when  l)i.rned  out,  as  they  were,  on  the 
average,  every  twelve  years.  «  Lot  us  be  civilized  or 
die,"  he  had  heard  Harvey  say  once.  And  he  added, 
immediately,  "  nnd  die — same  thing." 

Coming  out  into  the  night  air  was  like  stepping 
into  a  cold-storage  room,  yet  it  was  a  warm  summer 
evenmg.     Harvey  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Let's  walk  down  past  the  '  Row,' "  he  said  briefly. 
The  "Row"  was   the  mill  tenement  district.     It 
was  over  four  blocks  long,  and  as  ugly  and  uninviting 
as  red  brick  and  uniform  din.ensions  could  make  it. 
Stanton  had  also  seen  this  numbers  of  times.     It  was 
no  better,  no  worse,  than  hundreds  or  thousands  of 
such  rows  of  houses  all  over  the  world,  where  Labor 
cats  and  sleeps  and  calls  it  home.     There  were  the 
same  unfailing  numl)er  of  steps  bordered  by  squares 
of  trampled  sod  or  h.ire  dirt ;  the  same  dreary  displays 
of  litter  on  sidewalk  or  in  gutter;  the  same  corre- 
sponding rows  of  saloons  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street,  where  Labor  drowned  its  cares  and  spent  its 
last  cent;   in   the  daytime,   the   same  squalid,   dirty 
groups  of  children  and  pathetic  and  apathetic  women, 
I'oreground  and  background  for  the  "Row."     The 
higher-priced  laborers  lived  in  better  houses  and  their 
wives  and  daughters  were  smartly  dressed,  and  there 
was  a  "grading  up"  that  argued  well  or  ill  for  the 
future  as  it  meant  more  civilization  or  more  caste 
spirit;  but  the  Lenox  mill  ''Row"  that  Harvey  and 
Stanton  walked  slowly  past,  was  typical  of  the  rank 


■i     r  b  't. 


m 


^^\i;- 


i    I  I 

*     I  f 


«0        THE   HKAin  OF  THE  WORLD 

centre  in  the  worM;  ^       **     "'  ^"'^'^  ''''''''y  <>'  -" 

All  this  time  Harvey  hn, 
Stanton  had  not  asked  u      . 


end  of  the   tc.enirnt 
turned,  and  said,  "  It's 
tli<'  Avtnuo?" 

"Wherever    vou    s&y 
n^ghtr  said  Stanton  b, 
Fifteen  unnutes'  waliv 
ter  residence  portion  ol 


ot  suid  nnjthin^s  and 
^•ons.     Conn'ng  to  the 
'    »'ent   of   the   Union 
K-  Shall  we  go  up  on 


]• 


.11; 


arni-  r.     e  ^.3^  ^^^ 

^  »vo  into  the  bet- 
and  they  were'in  t"hn7,  <'''^\  ""'nute"  mere 

chu.hef  ...Jo:;":;!:'""'  ■''  "■  ■*'  »*-  "■« 

"'  ns  nian>  (liferent  denominations      TJ,. 

«Me open :jl: /:;,;;;,  ;'-«;«"i..^ «.!,«„ 

after  fen  oVIock   a„,l  L  "'"  °"'-''  "  ''"'" 

«"e,„pMo  o„f„    e    1 1/'"      ?    '"''""''■     ^l-e 

brewo;s  of  l"'"         ,    ,    ""'"  ^"'  ""*•  •""  «>' 

'<.e,T  "  pltr  J™':'.   ;«  ™"f -^  ■•*.  "  bW  at 

J-'^.^      :1  thu-  authunties  had  moved 


'^m 


SIIAHP   COVTHASTS  6, 

yinsl  tlK.m      Tl,.  li„uor  busi,,.,,  ;,  ,„  ,„„„i,„,i„„. 
-ll.v  an.1  .„.b„u„l..v  „„,,  ,„.„i„..,„|,  ,„.,„,  ,^„,  ,;""" 

<i»y-,  .i„i.  ti,c  i„g  ,,„„„  ^,,,,^^1,^,,  ._^ 

"ffr  ,•"■"'"'•  ""''"  '"•'■  <■-  •''  ■""»'  P"rt  self 
"t  "•  "'"'  """  '-J  ""  •'"-■  ■"•«  --.lo.  Wore  til 
d>Hy  common  mill  n,o„,  those  strikers,  these  rioti„« 
dn,nl<e„  m„b,  .„y  H„tio„  to  S,.i„,  CeeihVs  elegai^^* 
refined  and  perf„,„ed  eongreg.tion  ?  Onl^,  ,  ptt  of 
the  Brotherhood,  S„i„t  Ceeili,, ;  but  vour  Chris  an- 
■ty  as  not  meant  that  to  vou,  In  spite'  „f  ,.„„r  dl  t  „- 
gmshed  wealt  and  eulture.  When  vo„  have  eome  to 
the  plaee  of    Ins  f„||e„  ,„i^,|,h„  ° 

and  rchg,o„slv  passed  bv  on  the  other  shle."^  W  ,,  H 
be  any  m„„  than  vour  jnst  deserts  if  ,„  the  u.akinL 
up  of  the  rewards  ,„  the  last  Great  Day,  the  .Judge  of 
all  the  earth  shall  say  ,0  you,  O  beautifully  dr:ssed 
WCee„.a.   "Depart    from    „,e!     j    J„,J 

In  between  the  ehurehes,  han.lsome  residence,  with 

The  house  was  whitely  dazzling,  with  lights  at  every 
».ndow.  Elegantly  dressed  people  were  „„i„„  „„^ 
counng.     Carriages  and  automobiles  were°cro:ding 


•i 


if 


62   THE  HE.VRT  OF  THE  WORLD 

up  tc  the  curb  in  numbers  to  receive  or  discharge  their 
owners       Strains  of  music  came  from  the  open  win- 

st^t  f  ?>:  ''f  r"-  '^'"  ^••^'""  ^^'-^ '--  «- 

street  of  the  whole  affair  was  that  of  lavish  and  in- 
different display  of  excessive  wealth,  which  did  not 
know  what  to  do  with  itself  except  eat,  drink,  dress, 
gamble,  and  amuse  itself  generally. 

Harvey  touched  Stanton's  arm  and  the  two  walked 
along  slowly. 

siofif "  tr  *°  '"'^ '" '  ^°"  *""^'  ^-'^'^  ^-p-- 

sionate ly.  There  was  not  a  trace  of  bitterness  or  even 
anger  that  Stanton  could  detect  in  him.  It  revealed 
a  now      d  unexpected  characteristic  of  the  man,  and 

^:^zr''  ^^^^^" '-'  ''--'^'  p°^"^- 

"You  know  I  suppose,  that  was  Harwood's  house. 
He  .s  one  of  the  largest  owners  of  the  upper  mill. 
The  earmng  capacity  of  that  mill,  according  to  the 
company Wn  statement,  two  years  ago,  wfs  seven 
mil'ion.     The  net  eammgs,  you  understand,  for  div- 
idends.    Harwood  is  one  out  of  twenty  oth^r  men  in 
Lenox  who  control  the  upper  mill.     It  is  strictly  a 
trust,  a  monopoly   of  the  most  absolute  character 
You  see  l^w  Harwood  Hves.     The  house  is  a  palace 
^ou  see  how  h.s  friends  live.     There's  one  of  thei; 

rfront     7^,?;"''^  P^^^'"S  -  magnificent  residence, 
m  front  of  wh.ch  was  a  splendidly  wrought  iron  gat 
••'nd  fence  bounding  a  beautiful  lawn.     "  VVri^htam 
l.ves   there-he's    another   millionarie,    who^e * 
comes  out  of  the  labor  of  Lenox  lower  mill.     Hi^ 


'i"^31Fii- 


SHARP    CONTRASTS  63 

family  all  go  to  Newport  in  the  summer.     His  boys 
drink  and  gamble  and  liis  girls  smoke  cigarettes,  and 
from  what  everybody  says  the  old  man  and  his  wife 
are  not  on  speaking  terms  half  of  the  time;  but  the 
main  thing  is  money  with  him  and  her.     Now  :Mr. 
Stanton,"  Harvey  turned  his  head  a  little  more  to- 
wards Stanton,  «I  said  you  did  not  understand  the 
real  reason  for  the  socialistic  movement,  or  the  trade- 
unions  movement.     Your  book  is  clever.     I  don't  deny 
that,  and  you  have  shrewdly  and  truly  hit  on  some 
real  causes  of  popular  social  discontent.     But  the  one 
greatest  of  all  reasons  why  the  world  to-day  is  mov- 
ing with  such  swiftness  towards  Socialism  is  what  you 
have  seen  to-night.     On  the  one  hand,  a  condition  of 
physical   labor,   which,   in   one   way  or  another,   is 
attended  with  pain,  danger,  and  excessive  duration,  at 
unfair  compensation,  and  on  \'^o  other  hand,  a  condi- 
tion of  idle  luxury  on  the  part  of  those  who  profit 
unjustly  by  the  fruits  of  physical  toil.     The  'Row 
down  by  the  mills,  and   Harwood's  or  Wrightam's 
house  are  the  visible  sign  of  the  injustice.     The  things 
we  saw  in  the  furnace-rooms,  and  the  things  we  saw  in 
the  ball-room  arc  what  make  labor  unions  and  social- 
istic parties.     Does  any  wonder  that  men  like  those  in 
the  furnace-rooms,  who  are  actually  with  their  hands 
making  the  stuff  that  brings  such  enormous  profit- 
does  any  wonder  that  they  cannot  be  made  to  see  that 
persons  like  Harwood  and  Wrightam  are  entitled  to 
such  an  unjust  proportion  of  the  profits  of  the  busi- 
ness m  which  they  never  engage  with  any  physical 


1 


I*  r 


«*       THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

pain?    Th.y  WI  us  wages  are  high.     But  hov  hieh 

are  thej,  co:„pared  with  the  increase  of  dividend,  1 

l.e  Leno.  nulls  during  the  last  five  ^oars  ?     If™  a  " 

lad  been  .ncreased  in  proportion  to  diidends,  ihl^e^ 

ney  get  no.  But  granting  that  wages  are  hi»h 
so   .s   everythmg  else  that   a  man  haf  to  1  ve  on 

.^:r   ;T  '"  "  -'"«"^-'.  -.  coal,  lu'^r; 

isoneof  th  /  T"  T'^''™'  °f  "f"^-  Harwood 
heT„  1  1  ,  '  °"  °'  ""^  ""'  '"■»*■  Last  winter 
o  t«5r/'"r '"'"■^  '"  «•'  I-^o-  ™as  buy 

and  the  T  '  t""'  •  ^"'  "  '"''  ^""^  "P  '»  *«-'^«. 

and  the  Trust  says  .t  is  necessary  on  account  of  the 

norease  of  wages  paid  to  the  miners.     Yet,  I  noticed 

h^people  who  control  the  oil  and  coa,  trLsts":  ^ 

suffer  from  increases  in  wages.     They  don't  have  any 

fewer  automobiles  or  receptions  or  trips  to  Europe  or 

summer  residences  or  purple  and  fine  linen      tIv 

smde  to  themselves,   and  let   the  people,   the  dea7 

ease  their  consciences,  one  or  two  of  them,  after  put- 
.ng  up  c<,al  twenty-five  cents  a  ton  or  o  1  two  cent, 
a  gallon,  benevolently  contribute  an  additional  amoun 
of  the  people's  money  to  some  college,  university  or 

Chnstmn   philanthropists.     The   universities    a^a 
good  thing,  perhaps;  but  if  the  truth  were  told  over 

scribed  the  words,  'This  building  was  efected  by  tte 
n.oney  paid  by  the  common  people  to  meet  a  ri«  of 


SHARP   CONTRASTS 

two  cents  per  gallon  on  oil,  or  twenty-fiv, 


66 


^       o w..  uu,  or  twenty-five  cents  «  f^r. 

on  coal,  or  seven  per  cent,  share  on  railroad  stock  •  « 
the  case  might  be.    This  min-ht  u  j 

..p..™  .V  ..~:f :£,-„•:;' -?»';s 

n.ade  possible.  To-d"*  he  is  h  "^  "*  ''"  "•" 
».<.«,  because  he  beh  L  V  .'j^rZ  h  "*  '" 
".ore.  The  tenement  and  the  X  th 'd  """" 
compared  with  the  lu.ury,  the  s  2'  IJ  tf  '  "T 
and  unjust  division  of  the  f™it  "T  „K  "r""' 

^n":ho ::  r  enTerth^rt  r  ^^-"^- 

have  all  their  i^ Te^  .'LdCtr^™"  ^"' 
and  daughters  have  no  aim  7„      •  ,  '  ™"' 

amuse  themselves,  .hen  .^  ask  X:";"""'  '" 

-o.t.operativesVttrrdttft; 

ruZg.  "'""*'  *°  "'  '"'"■'"  ^''"'  Stanton,  inter- 

;;  I^hould  like  to  be  present  when  you  do." 
Will  jou  go  with  me.'" 


i^ 


i  i 


<  fi- 


Mh 


fr 

u 


66   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

"  Mr.  Harwood  wouldn't  let  me  into  his  house.     He 
regards  me  as  a  wild  beast." 

"That  is  because  you  have  antagonized  him  with 
the  Union." 

"  But  he  does  not  understand,  he  nor  his  kind,  that 
there  rmj  be  a  law  of  collective  ethics  higher  than  a 
law  of  mdividual  ethics.     Wrightam  and  his  kind  say 
no  man  has  a  right  to  say  whom  the  directors  of 
Lenox  mills  shall  employ.     '  It  is  a  free  country  and 
every  corporation  has  a  right  to  employ  any  one  it 
pleases,  and  any  man  has  a  right  to  work  for  whom 
he  pleases,  without  joining  a  Union.'     That  sounds 
ethically  and  morally  right.     But  I  say  there  may  be 
such  a  thing  as  a  collective  ethical  la^  that  is  higher 
and  more  binding  than  ihh  much-quoted  individual 
ethics.     Here  is  what  my  friend  Raymond  said  in  his 
great  speech  last  week  before  the  Teachers'  Assembly 
at  Manchester :  "^ 

'-Free  contract  in  the  individualistic  sense  has  not 
existed  m  the  industrial  world  for  a  generation.  Free 
contract  is  impossible  between  the  individual  laborer 
and  the  superintendent  of  a  corporation.  The  super- 
intendent makes  the  terms,  the  laborer  accepts  or 
s  arves.  The  freedom  of  the  individual  laborer  resem- 
bles that  of  a  cat  in  a  tub  on  a  lake.     The  cat  does  not 

All  that  the  laborer  has  gained  for  a  hundred  years 

manvTraT"  '  '"'  ^-^e-unions.  That  workmen  in 
many  trades  now  enjoy  a  fair  wage  and  more  rea- 
sonable hours  of  service,  is  due  to  the  struggle  and 


•'H5. 


'->Su>i.< 


^i^aK^#7:^ 


'i^^im^ 


1 


SHARP    CONTRASTS  67 

suffering  of  countless  men,  women,  and  children,  loyal 
to  the  principle  of  Unionism.     Shall  we  now  permit 
men  who  refuse  the  social  obligations  of  their  age- 
.ndustnal    reebooters.  who  would  enjoy  the  fruits  won 
Ky  tho.r  fdlow-craftsmcn  without  obedience  to  the  pro- 
ectne  den.and  of  the  Union-to  take  the  bread  from 
he  mouths  of  our  wives  and  children?     Shall  we  let 
those  sdflsh,  socal,  and  industnal  traitors  disorganize 
our  trade,  and  render  possible  at  the  first  breath  of  an 
Indus  rial  panic    a  return  to  the  miserable  wage  and 
long  hours  of  a  generation  ago  ?     Slowly  have  we  won 
an  advance  in  the  standard  of  wages  that  m.i<os  pos- 
sible better  food,  better  wages,  bettor  clothes,  and 
more  schooling  for  us  and  our  families?     Shall  this 
personal  and  communal  gain  be  lost  for  the  sake  of 
^maintaining  ancient  individual  rights  which  the  world 
has  outgrown,  and  the  unrestrained  exercise  of  which 
would  pauperize  our  families  and  injure  the  whole 

"  But  I  might  as  well  whistle  to  the  wind  to  stop  it 
as  to  try  to  make  Mr.  Harwood  understand  the  posi- 
tion of  the  Union  in  regard  to  non-union  labor.  And 
I  don  t  suppose  you  believe  in  my  position  either." 

Frankly,  Brother  Harvey,  I  do  not.  And  I  still 
beheve  in  my  proposition  that  practically  all  the 
trouble  between  Capital  and  Labor  is  caused  bv  an 
absence  of  love  between  man  and  man.  Economically 
It  does  not  pay  to  hate  any  one.  The  Harwoods  and 
•Editorinl  signed  R.  R.,  n.  C.n.no>.,  Chicago.  August.  1903 


^,cr;:«g*P'l^ 


■ 


^r 


J 


68    THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

the  Wrightams  >f  society  arc  apparently  not  worth 
iovir-.  In  reai  v,  very  few  people  do  love  them. 
Outside  of  their  most  immediate  relations,  I  suppose 
no  one  is  so  little  loved  as  the  average  millionaire. 
And  ,n  many  cases  their  own  family  relations  are  little 
to  be  envied  if  the  record  of  the  divorce  courts  is  good 
evidence  of  unhappiness.  What  I  don't  see,  Brother 
Harvey,  is  the  reason  for  you  and  your  companions 
m  the  trade-unions  wishing  to  get  more  money,  which, 
so  far  as  history  shows,  means  more  misery.  You 
don't  suppose  for  a  moment,  do  you,  that  either  Har- 
wood  or  Wrightam  are  happy  men.? " 

"That  is  not  the  question.     It  is  a  question  of 
right,  of  justice.     The  men  of  the  Union  say  it  is 
unjust  that  a  man  who  actually  works  with  his  body 
for  eight  or  ten  hours  a  day  in  a  difficult,  dangerous 
position,  should  receive  only  three  or  four  dollars  a 
day,  while  the  man  who  controls  the  monopoly,  but 
never  does  any  physical  labor,  gets  ten  or  a  hundred 
times  as  much.     Why  should  the  actual  labor,  which 
shortens  a  man's  life  in  some  parts  of  the  mill  by  one- 
half— why  should  that  receive  for  its  share  of  the 
valuable  product   the   smallest   compensation.?     You 
say  the  brain  labor  necessary  to  direct  the  big  busi- 
ness is  worth  more,  and  is  entitled  to  more  and  far 
higher   pay.     As    an    economic    statement    that    has 
always  been  accepted  by  the  world  as  a  matter  beyond 
dispute.     I  suppose  I   should  be  called  a   fool  for 
expressing  any  other  view.     But  I  do  not  believe  in 
that  generally  accepted  statement.     I  think  the  men 


J 


r.'l^^j-v-^s-f.-^y^^^ii 


2-W:-S||£C..Ks- 


SHARP    CONTRASTS  gg 

who  do   the  hard,   dangerous,   life-destroying   work, 
ought  to  receive  at  least  equal  compensation  with  the 
men   who  organize  and   direct   the   work   with   their 
brams.     In  other  words,  I  believe  economically  that 
the  physical  labor  is  worth  just  as  much  to  the  world 
as  the  mental  labor,  that  the  two  go  hand  in  hand, 
and  there  ought  to  be  no  distinction  made  between 
them  when  ,t  comes  to  payment  for  service.     A  good 
many  men  believe  just  as  I  do.     But  the  trade-unions 
don  t  go  that  far,  generally,  of  course.     But  is  it 
any  wonder  if  we  make  a  f,^-  breaks  like  the  other 
night,  when    after  seeing  a  prospect  of  winning  our 
case  wKh  the  company,  the  non-union  men  come  in 
and  kick  It  all  over.P     The  whole  history  of  trade- 
unions  shows  that  for  a  imndred  years  we  have  been, 
on  the  whole,  making  a  manly  protest  for  human 
rights;   as   Raymond  says,   it   is   true,   all   that   the 
laborers  have  gauged  for  a  hundred  years  has  been 
won    by   the    trade-unions.     To   have   our    purposes 
misunderstood,     to    have    men    like    Harwood    or 
Wrig^itam   fight  us  as  if  we  were  enemies  of  society 
IS  maddening;  but  the  most  disheartening  of  all  is  the' 
tact  that  workingmen  themselves  do  not  stand  with 
us    but  get  in  the  way  of  their  own  interests,  and 
make  it  harder  for  us  to  justify  our  position  with 
the  public." 

They  walked  along  some  way  in  silence,  and  Har- 
vey  finally  said  quietly,  as  he  had  talked  all  along, 
1  didnt  mean   to  say  so  much."     When   Stanton 
reached   the  door  of  his  house   the  two  men   shook 


11 


I    1 


¥ffi*S?.;-:m?5J 


70 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


a 

l.f: 


hands  silently.     As  Harvey  turned  to  go  home  he 
stopped. 

"Arc  you  actually  going  to  see  Harwood?     Give 
him  my  love  if  you  do!" 

"  I'll  see  him  and  Wrightam,  too." 
"  You're  a  braver  man  than  I  gave  you  credit  for, 
Mr.  Stanton,"  Harvey  replied,  this  time  without  a 
sneer,  as  he  said  good-night  again  and  walked  away. 
Stanton  talked  over  the  evening's  experience  with 
his  wife.  When  he  spoke  of  his  determination  to  see 
the  two  mill  owners,  Mildred  asked  doubtfully,  "  Do 
you  think  it  will  do  any  good.?" 

"I  don't  know.  Wrightam  is  a  member  of  Dr. 
Rowen's  church.  Han^ood,  as  you  know,  has  for 
years  been  a  member  of  Saint  Cecilia.  Why  should 
they  not  listen  to  the  Gospel  of  Love.?  " 

"  They  have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  hearing  it," 
said  Mildred,  and  immediately  exclaimed,  "Pardon 
me,  Fredrick  ! " 

"  It  is  true,  dear,"  S*anton  answered  sadly.     «  How 
much  of  this  Gospel  did  I  preach  during  my  pastorate 
in  Saint  Cecilia?     I  owe  Harwood  a  message  now  to 
make  amends  for  my  neglect  so  many  years." 
"How  will  he  take  it.?" 

"  I  don't  know.     Harwood  is  a  remarkable  man  in 
many  ways." 

"  God  be  with  you,  Fredrick,  as  you  ;^o  to  him," 
iiis  wife  said  softly. 

"Am.n!"  exclaimed  Stanton. 

He  had  made  his  statement  about  going  to  see  the 


SHARP    CONTRASTS 


71 


mill  owners,  not  lightly,  but  without  realizing  to  the 
full  all  that  the  interview  might  mean  to  himself  as 
well  as  to  the  men.  Now  that  he  talked  it  over  to  his 
wife,  he  began  to  realize  with  a  curious  thrill  of  gen- 
uine excitement  what  might  possibly  come  of  it. 


ill 


Iff 


VI 

A    PRIVATE    MESSAGE 

JOHN  B.  WRIGHTAM  sat  in  his  "den"  the 
next  evening  smoking  a  pipe,   as  the  servant 
brought  in  Dr.  Stanton's  card.     The  mill  owner 
and  trust  promoter  went  out  into  the  hall  to  meet  his 
caller,  and  w,th  a  show  of  cordiality  invited  him  into 
nis  private  room. 

"Have  a  cigar,  doctor?"  said  Wrightam.  proffer- 
ing  a  boxful. 

"Thank  jou.  Mr.  Wrightam,  I  don't  smoke." 
You  miss  a  good  thing.     I'm  so  dead  nervous  I 
have  to  use  a  pipe." 

He  took  it  up,  put  it  in  his  mouth,  and  eyed  Stan- 
ton through  the  smoke  curiously. 

Ju!  rr'  *°  '''  ^°"  °"  *  '"""^^  ""^^'^  ^°""rn«  the 
nulls,  the  men  especially,  Mr.  Wrightam  " 

and  f^d'7"f  *r  '"^^  '"  P'P^  °"*  °^  ^'«  -''"th' 
an  1  held  ,t  up,  lookmg  at  the  bowl  through  his  heavy 

half-closed  lids.     «  You're  specially  inteLted  in  the' 

men,  Dr.   Stanton  ?     Believe  you   were  talking   to 

them  the  night  of  the  riot.     Well  ?  " 

not"!!'f  ^^"^^*'";:  "^'*  ^"  ^°"  '^^^  °^  t^«««  --. 

not  as  forces  in  the  economic  world,  but  as  human 
bemgs.^     I  tried  to  say  to  them  that  night  that  I 

78 


II 


A    PRIVATE    MESSAGE  73 

believed  Ihe  one  thing  they  all  lacked  whs  love  for 
others^  I  h„vc  not  co.ne  here  to  preach  to  you,  but 
I  do  feel  that  the  whole  trouble  between  you  as  a 
representative  of  the  capitalistic  class  is  oau;ed  by  an 
absence  of  love  on  both  sides.  The  whole  fact  of  a 
Brotherhood  ,s  completely  ignored.     Mr.  VVriKhtam 

as  brothers  of  yours.?" 

John  B.  Wrightam  took  his  pipe  out  of  his  mouth, 
and  l„s  face  turned  very  red  as  he  stared  at  Stanton 
The  sdence  ,n  the  "den"  grew  oppressive.     At  last 
the  mill  man  burst  into  a  short  laugh. 

"Love  them!  You  don't  mean  it.  Dr.  Stanton- 
Love  those  men  ?  Well,  I  take  it  that's  asking  a  trifle 
too  njuch  of  John  B.  Wrightam!  It  isn't  a  proposi- 
lion  I  ever  enlcrlaincd." 

"But  is  it  asking  too  much  to  entertain  such  a 
propos,t.„n?  you  are  a  professed  Christian,  Mr. 
wrightam,  and  a  member  of  a  church.  What  docs 
your  church  teach.'  What  does  ,,our  Christianitv 
™lu,re  ,f  not  just  this,  that  you  love  these  men  and 
seek  to  do  them  all  the  good  jou  can  ?  " 

Again  Join,  B.  Wrightam's  face  gn>w  red,  and  he 
regarded  h,s  caller  with  astonished  frritation. 

m,  affec  ,on  on  a  lot  of  rioting,  drinking  lawbreakers. 
nilT  W  »■%"  "'°''  '■'"'  "'^  ""  "•"  '"«'  ""^  "th" 

tl^n      7    Pr'""'""= '"'°  """•     Arrest  about  a 
thousand   and   put    them    in    jail   for   thirty    days 


h. 


74        THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

for  breaking  the  laus  and  ■nciting  the  mob  spirit. 
That's  what  thej  need!  Talk  about  justice!  What 
right  hav'.'  these  men  to  love  from  me?  They  would 
dictate  to  us  through  that  rascal  Harvey  and  say 
wl  •  men  we  shall  employ  in  the  mills.  But  they  are 
losing  this  strike.  The  mills  are  going  again.  And 
Harvey  and  his  lawbreakers  will  learn  they  can't  dic- 
tate to  the  Lenox  Mill  Company,  not  while  John  B. 
Wrightam  is  on  deck ! " 

Stanton  listened,  and  his  blood  boiled.  If  he  had 
been  guided  by  his  wife's  quiet  spirit,  he  might  not 
have  said  what  he  now  did.  But  his  vivid  conscious- 
ness of  the  masterful,  hypocritical  pose  of  the  man 
swept  all  other  considerations  out  of  his  mind. 

He  rose  to  his  feet  and  faced  the  magnate  like  one 
of  the  old  prophets.  Wrightam's  sullen,  heavy  face 
lowered  in  impotent  anger  as  he  had  to  listen. 

"John  Wrightam,  who  are  you  to  talk  about  the 
lawlessness  of  Labor,  you,  who  have  for  years  been  one 
of  the  directors  of  as  lawless  an  organization  of  Cap- 
ital as  ever  broke  the  statutes  of  this  State.?     You 
know  better  than  I  do  how  repeatedly  you  and  your 
associates  have  used  the  influence  of  your  great  wealth 
to  Ignore  tlie  laws  specially  directed  against  your  com- 
bine.    You  kno^v  better  than  any  one  except  God, 
who  will  bring  you  to  account  if  the  State  fails  to 
do  so,  how  many  weak  and  helpless  competitors  you 
have  crushed  out,  how   many  legislators  you  have 
bribed,  how  much  money  you  have  spent  to  corrupt 
courts  and  cover  up  the  recoid  of  your  company's 


jmM. 


.-:'•. 4  fr'  I 


A    PRHATE    MESSAGE 


75 


crime  before  the  law !     Am]  do  3011  talk  to  tnc  about 
the  hiwlessness   of  llicse  worknuri,   who   are  guillv, 
and  for  whom  I  am  not  pkachng  .my  excuse,  but 
whose  act  is  not  to  b«'  compared  for  one  moment  in 
enormity   with  that  of  the  continued  hiwlessness  of 
Capital  throughout  this  Republic.     Where  Labor  has 
broken  the  laws  and  ignond  the  stattito  once,  C'ap- 
■'al  has  done  it  ten  times.     And,  shieki.ui  by  its  wealth 
and  influence,  it  pretends  to  grow  indignant  at  the 
actions  of  Labor.     Verily,  if  the  Lord  of  all  the  eartii 
were  here  to-day,  He  would  say  to  you  und  your  kind, 
•Ye  hypocrites,  first  cast  out  Hit  beam  out  of  your 
own  eye,  and  then  you  shall  see  clrarlv  to  cmt  out  the 
mote  out   of  your  brother's   eye.*     (iod    judg-  you, 
John  Wrightam,  if  you  do  not  ackiio\vl< dge  your  sin 
against    tliese    men    and    against    society.     He    will 
teach  you  one  of  these  days  how  hard  it  is  for  rich 
men  to  get  into  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

And  having  said  this,  Fredrick  Stanton  walked 
out  of  the  house  feeling  that  his  errand  had  been  a 
total  failure;  but  not  without  a  sense  of  righteous 
indignation  that  did  not  include  very  much  feeling  of 
regret  that  he  had  spoken  his  mind  freely  to  a  man, 
who,  in  the  church  which  he  attended,  never  heard  a 
word  of  plain  preaching  on  the  subject  of  lying, 
bribery,  or  lawlessness  in  high  places. 

He  was  talking  it  all  over  with  his  wife  the  next 
evening.  She  had  expressed  her  complete  confidence 
in  his  action,  and  lit-  had  been  wondering  with  her 
whether  it  would  be  a  case  of  pearls  before  swine  to 


I'lt; 


*■■* 


Mi 


ipr 


T8   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

TStT.  ";™«"!; •■'•™  «-  Ml  r„„g,  and  Stanton 
.ent  to  the  do,,r.  To  l,i,  undisguised  astonishment, 
Hamood  himself  stood  on  the  poreh 

Stanton  asked  him  in  at  once,  and  noted  as  he  did 
»o  the  man's  pale,  troubled  face. 

"I  would  like  to  see  you  alone.  Dr.  Stanton,  if  I 

g^i'ting:  ' """ '" '""' ''"""''  '^'-  s'«to„.: 

Stanton  led  the  way  into  his  study,  and  shutting 
«.o  door  mot,o„ed  the  mill  owner  into  an  easy-chair 
Han,ood  sank  ,nto  it  and  put  his  hands  over  L  face 
Stanton  wa,ted  silently  .„d  eyed  his  unexpected  vis-' 
-tor  w,th  .ntereslcd  wonder,  for  the  ,„an  was    as  I 

had  said  to  Mildred,  very  rem.rkahle  ," 

"M„  „v   1  r^         „       remarkable  m  many  ways. 

Jly  ».fe  left  ,ne.  Dr.  Stanton,  yesterday.     She  is 

not  commg  hack.     The  quarrel  between  us  i  irrec™ 

odable      I  do  not  thi„k-I  do-„ot-think  she  ever 

really  loved  me.     She  was  attracted  by  my  wealth  L 

was  attra^ed  by  her  beauty.    We  ha",  ifved  a  dtg" 

Mv  old   'I  "  Tf  '■""""P""''""^.  you  understand. 

My  oldest  g,rl,  Leona,  will  stay  with  her  mother. 

The  boys  are  ,n  the  military  school  at  Poughkeepsie 

My  J-oungest  daughter  will  go  to  Franee'with':; 
"ster.     Th,s  separation  will   probably  get  into  the 
papers  ,„  time,  but  no  one  know,  „b™t  i,  now  b 
she  and  you  and  myself.     Dr.  Stanton,  y„u  „ere  I 
faithful  pastor  ,„  me  while  you  were  at  Saint  Coclha 
^ou  may  have  thought  yoursdf  a  coward  during thl; 
pastorate,  hut  your  sermons  contained  many  beaut 
ful  and  helpful  ,hing.s  t e,  and  your  prayers  oft  n 


( 

1 

(■ 

d' 

"•** 

m    i  V 


m 


.-■■V'»-'ji*iu='^— »       .1W-- 


A   PRIVATE    MESSAGE  77- 

helped  n.e.     I  don't  know  a  man  of  my  acquaintance 
who  IS  of  any  use  to  me  now.     It  would  be  worse  than 
mockery  for  me  to  go  to  a  man  like  Wrightam,  for 
example.     He  and  the  others  do  not  know  anything 
but  money.     My  God ! "  The  man  got  up  and  walked 
across  the  room,  then  came  back  and  sat  down  again 
Can  you  g,ve  me  any  comfort?     I  am  forty-eight 
years  old.     That  was  the  birthday  party  celebratfng 
the  event  mght  before  last,  Dr.  Stanton.     My  sister 

If  r  ;L  .  r  ""  ^  ^'*"^'  «°*  '''  "P-  She  is  igno- 
rant of  the  hell  m  which  my  wife  and  I  have  lived  for 

twenty  years.  But  I  can't  go  to  her.  You  are  the 
only  man  I  know  who  is  likely  to  give  me  any  peace 
of  mmd.  I  felt  as  if  I  must  go  to  some  one,  Jr  I  was 
•n  danger  of  suicide.     You  see  my  affections   were 

bound  up  m  my  wife.     To  have  her  leave  me " 

He  put  his  hands  over  his  face  again,  and  Stanton 
eyed  him  m  wonder.  Harwood  had  been  the  proudest 
man  m  S,unt  Cecilia.  Tall,  handsome,  a  university 
man,  with  fine  literary  tastes,  unscrupulous  to  ; 
degree  m  the  market-place,  kind  and  affectionate 
m  h,s  family  relations,  the  sight  of  him  sihing  there 
humbled  with  this  deep  trouble,  touched  Stanton 
profoundly. 

What  was  there  to  do  but  go  to  God  with  him  ? 

Stanton  got  down  by  him,  put  his  hand  on  his 
shoulder,  and  prayed.  When  the  prayer  ceased  Har- 
wood was  sobbing.  That  nearly  broke  Stanton  down, 
but  he  rejoiced  over  it.  He  knew  Harwood  would 
not  think  of  suicide  now. 


fi 


1.'' 


78        THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

"Thank  you,"  he  said  after  a  while.     Then  there 
was  a  long  pause. 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  think  I'm  converted  or  any- 
thing of  that  sort,  Dr.  Stanton.     I  know  I've  been  a 
church  member  all  these  years,  but  that  hasn't  meant 
anything.     I  know,  too,  that  I've  wasted  God's  oppor- 
tunity with  my  money  and  all  that.     But  this  trouble 
has  made  me  feel  the  uselessness  of  money  and  social 
power,  and  all  that,  to  give  happiness.     Do  you  know, 
nothing  in  all  my  experience  touched  me  like  your 
action  that  day  when  you  announced  your  authorship 
and  stepped  out  of  the  bishopric  ?     I  was  on  the  point 
then  of  getting  up  in   the  church  and  commending 
your  act  and  siding  with  you.     I've  been  on  the  point 
a  dozen  times  of  coming  to  you  since,  to  have  a  talk 
with  you  over  the  whole  social  question.     I'm  not  an 
artistocrat  either  by  birth  or  training.      But  circum- 
stances seemed  to  force  me  into  the  class  of  Wrightara 
against  my  convictions.     I  found  I  could  make  money 
easy  according  to  modem  methods  of  captaining  in- 
dustry.    All  the  time  I  have  made  a  study  of  social 
questions.     My  sympathies,  so  far  as  mv  intellectual 
consent  is  concerned,  are  rJl  with  LaF«r.'    Something 
I  saw  of  Bishop  Potter's  recently  stirred  m^  to  blood 
heat.     It  was  like  this : 

" '  In  the  country  in  which  you  and  I  live,  what  we 
call  civilization  has  undergone  what  is  not  less  than  a 
gigantic  revolution.     The  huge  ag,-regatk,n.s  of  c«jr 
ital  which  havt   practically  taken  from  tiw  hands  ^>f 
the  individual  the  independent  ,iisp„sition  of  his  labor, 


l^Ml_ 


A   Plin  ATE    MESSAGE  79 

and  have  introduced  into  his  existence  paralyzing 
uncertainty  as  to  both  his  comforts  and  his  future, 
and  gradual  widening  of  the  breaches  that  separate 
classes  from  classes,  and  the  competitions  that,  while 
they  cheapen  the  nocessaries  of  life,  increase  the  ele- 
ments of  piM-plexity  and  uncertainty  as  to  how  great 
multitudes  may  obtain  them,  all  th^-sc  are  features  of 
our  modern  civilization  full  of  cJanger.'"* 

"  That  is  from  his  recent  address  on  '  Wealth  and 
Commonwealth,'  at  New  Haven,"  s^^id  Stanton,  his 
mind  in  a    tate  of  wonder  at  Ilurwood's  disclosures. 

*•  If  I-aney  had  said  it,  the  Lenox  Timr.i  would 
have  called  him  a  dangerous  inciter  of  ck       -atred," 
said  Harwood.     "Well,  Dr.  Stanton,  somehow  I  feel 
as  if  ray  salvation  lay  in  this  social  whirlpool  some- 
where.    My  home  is  destroyed.     The  incentive  for 
the  acquisition  of  money  is  gone.     Something  in  me 
mast   have   satisfaction.     My   social   sins   have  been 
iMWf.      .Vot  vices,  but  failure  to  be  true  to  my  own 
con^^^ions,  to  mj  A;epest  understanding  of  justice. 
Have  you  gei  a   copy  of  Herbert   Spencer.?"     He 
went  over  U,  the  book  shelves,  and  Stanton  pointed  out 
the  set  of  Sp<^ncer's  works      ^farwood  took  down  a 
TolunK    turned  to  a  p«*^age,  ^«^  read  aloud : 

The  system  under  which  we  ^t  present  live  fos- 
ters dishonciy  and  i/  n^.  It  proivj^s  adulterations 
of  countless  kinds.  It  ,,  .^B^irerabk  /<^  the  cheap 
«t4t^tions,  v^ikh,  eventually ,  «  mar,/  ^mm-*  thrust  the 
geii..;ne  articl-  ou#  ^jf  iJi,  market      ft  i^*/fe  to  the  use 

•Bish..p  yAt,r  in    an   addrc.s   on   "  W«.ith  «f.d   Common- 
^cnlth."     /.     yrw  «#,-|.n.  Conn, 


I.- 


kimti 


80   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

of  short  weights  and  false  measures.     It  introduces 
bribery    which  vitiate,  most  trading  relations,  from 
those  of  the  manufacturer  and  buyer  down  to  those 
of  the  shopkeeper  and  servant.     It  encourages  decep- 
.on  to  such  an  extent  that  an  assistant   who  cannot 
tell  a  falsehood  with  a  good  face  is  blamed;  and  often 
It  glv^^s  the  conscientious  trader  the  choice  between 
adoptmg    the    malpractices    of   his    competitors,    or 
greatly   njunng  his  creditors  by  bankruptcy.     More- 
over, the  extensive  frauds,  common  throughout  the 
commercial  world,  and  daily  exposed  in  law  courts 
and  newspapers,  are  largely  due  to  the  pressure  under 
which  competition  places  the  higher  industrial  classes; 
and    are   otherwise   due   to    that    lavish   expenditure 
which,  as  implying  success  in  the  commercial  strug- 
gle, brings  dishonor.     With  these  minor  evils  must 
be  joined  the  major  one,  that  the  distribution  achieved 
by  the  system  gives  to  those  who  regulate  and  super- 
intend, a  share  of  the  total  produce  which  bears  too 

ix:.'"*"  *'  ''^  ^'^" ''  ^'^'^  '^  *^«  -t-1 

"Now  it's  the  last  sentence  that  appeals  to  me. 
All  my  hf.,  .so  far,  I  have  been  conscious  of  violating 

W  helped  to  create  the  wealth.  And  the  question 
-  tl  me  now  .s,  how  to  get  my  mind  into  U.e  right 
re  ation  with  my  convictions.  I've  got  to  do  some- 
thing  or  I'll  go  mad." 

SU„to„  did  „„,  k„„„  ,.h,t  ,„         j^ 
d-d  kr.o.-  what  to  «ive  in  the  „y  of  spiritual  healing 


A    PRIVATE    MESSAGE  81 

When  Harwood  went  away  he  gave  Stanton  every 
assurance  that  he  was  helped  so  far  as  that  went,  but 
he  was  not  any  nearer  a  decision  as  to  his  own  future. 
One  week  later  the  rimes  printed  an  item  to  the 
effect  that  Harwood  had  gone  abroad.  Stanton  gave 
the  matter  no  more  thought,  except  to  wonder  a  little 
that  the  mill  owner  had  not  been  to  see  him,  or  tell 
him  of  his  plans.  But  he  was  very  busy  preparing 
for  his  fall  and  winter  lectures,  and  for  the  next  few 
days   Harwood  was  largely  out  of  mind. 

Two  days  before  going  out  on  his  first  lecture 
engagement  Stanton  went  down  to  the  lower  mill  to 
get  some  facts  concerning  machinery,  and  its  effects 
on  the  lives  of  the  men.  The  mills  had  resumed  work 
with  both  union  and  non-union  men,  and  the  strike 
was  about  over.  It  had  been  a  part  failure,  but  the 
Union  had  gained  some  minor  advantages,  and  was 
biding  its  time  for  the  next  move. 

Stanton  came  to  the  casting-room,  and  was  stand- 
ing close  by  the  "Octopus,"  fascinated  as  always, 
whenever  he  watched  it,  when  one  of  the  workmen  ran 
up  to  attach  a  chain  to  one  of  the  derrick  arms.     As 
he  finished  the  work  and  lifted  up  his  body,  Stanton 
had  a  new  view  of  him.    Through  the  grime  and  smoke 
and  swirling  gas  wreaths  of  the  place  he  recognized 
m  one  startling  moment   the  face  of  Harwood.  °Har- 
wood  in  the  same  moment  saw  that  he  was  recognized, 
and  as  the  foreman  happened  to  be  on  the  other  side 
of  the  casting  moulds,  he  stepped  close  up  to  Stanton 
and  spoke  to  him  hurriedly. 


.1 


!    i 


m^ 


vu 


I 


A    PUBLIC    MESSAGE 


Sf 


T  ^"7  "'1  l"  ''"  '""  "^y  '  »"•  h-'.  Mr. 
X  St«"ton.     And  I  expect  jou  to  respect  my 

T  I.  ?""'■  ^''"  ''°''™'">  taows  me.  But  since 
I  shaved  my  beard,  I  don't  think  even  Harvey  would 
recognise  me.  The  men  in  the  miU  did  not  know  my 
f«ce,  and  I  am  working  here  mostly  with  new  men  any- 
way.  Ima'scab.-  He  spoke  the  word  with  a 
gnm  sm,le.  "r,l  work  out  my  salvation  here-i" 
somewhere,  Stanton.  I  have  not  been  so  happy  f„; 
years.  n„  at  least  one  of  the  masses  here  And 
the  work  keeps  me  from  thinking  of  her  " 

He   did    not   even   try   to   shake   Stanton's   out- 
stretch hand   but  turned  and  caught  up  the  steel 

mom  :  '"•'/'■••'PI-''-  Stanton  watch^  him  a 
moment,  and  then  w=„t  on  his  way,  leaving  the  once 
proud  mdl  owner  a  part  of  the  wrestling  forces  of 
human  stre»  and  struggle,  under  the  ominous  frown 

t^l'^' '^'  -^'^  •=»=»■  no  remorse  or  regret. 

But    „e  ,m.ge  ot  the  man  trying  to  work  out  his 
salvation    „  ,he  way  he  had  chosen  haunted  Stanton 

nLhlo^t  1  'r^  *"  '  «""'  "•"'™«  ™  *=  fi"t 
night  ot  hi.  lecture  engagement  outside  of  Lenox 

.Stanton  laeed  h,s  first  audience  away  from  home 

•mce  m.  res,gnat.„„  from  Saint  Cecilia^ith  a  fteT 

89 


A  PUBLIC  JIESSAGK 


88 

not  all  .n  the  groat  crowd,  I,ad  oomo  to  .co  hinf  o„ 
of  ounosity.     That  placed  a  handicap  on  hi  "™es 
sage  to  start  with.     Hoiv.ver   1,„  l,„        /■    ■ 
on     What  a,e  the  Rights  of  Mankind?  "  by  nu„ti„„ 
Abraham  Lincln,  "This  country,  with  ZZ^ 
t.ons,  belong,  ,,  the  people  w,,„  ,nh„bit  „„     ^  '" 

:;ht\'e'°°'V"\'°'  '"  ""''""■■"«  ->'  ">^  "     " 
though     he  went  on  to  give  certain  definitions;  first 

of  ,,I,  the  defi„„ion  of  the  word  Socialism,  as  giv» 
hvjhe  best  and  latest  diciionaiies: 

"  Any  theory  or   system    of    social    organization 
which  would  abolish  entire!,-,  or,  in  great  pa        he 
.nd,v,dual  effort  and  competition  o„Tcir„   'det 
ocety  rests,  and  substitute  for  it  co-operative  ac- 
t™,  would  i„tro.,uce  a  „,„re  perfect  and  e,„a7di  - 
nbut,on  of  the  products  of  labor,  and  would  make 
land  and  cap  tal  as  the  instruments  and  meanTof 
production,  the  joint  possession  of  the  members  ^f 
the  community."  ♦  ^«uoi-rs  oi 

"^Jj"  "T''-    "'°''"    ^"""'   Mill's  definition  = 
Socahsm  ,s  the  jo.nt  ownership  by  all  members  of 
e  e„mmun„y  of  the  instrument  and  means  of  pro- 
bet™ ;  which  carries  with  it    ,he  consequence  Lt 

must  be  a  pubhc  act,  performed  according  to  rules 
la.d  down  by  the  community.     S„ci„|i.„  bv  no  mean 
o^Judes  private  ownership  „f  „.Hes  of  consumT 

•Century  Dictionary, 


III 
il    ■ 


<m 


I 


84 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WOULD 


13 


not  need  to  scare  any  one,  Stanton  went  on  »itl,  , 
what  U,o  nghts  of  „„n  .„„  b,,,d,  ,„,,  ,„  ^i,;;"^  J 

up  to,  Chnstmn  Socialism  could  not,  by  any  possi 
b-Lty,  mean   anything  except  the   r  alLZ  T 
genuine  brotherhood.  --eahzatmn   of  a 

His'^r/*'"'  °'  """  ""  <^"'""''™'  »»''  his  duties. 
H.S   nghts    are   not    seliish    preroffatives    (!,„„ 
mutual  concessions.  "ogatnes,  they  are 

unllT-'  ^''T'""'   "'■""'"''ood  is  an  i,npos.ibility 
unless  ,„  the  heart  c.ists  a  love  of  God,  together  wfh 
a  love  of  „,„.     i„  „,,„  „„^_j^_  ^  ^.^^  beUerJi  „t  o 
he  race  ,s  .mpossiblo,  unless  it  has  „  rfe.-p    tL  re 
.«.ous  basis.     To  leave  out  the  religious  eie lent     ," 

dee;:st"wro';t,::^„if;i/,:r'""'^  ""'■ '"- 
Morris  on  the  .narri,,g:':2i:;:t:,:.:;"?i',7 

nage  under  existing  condition,  is  absurd-  ttVlT 

rplu:t"^■M""^^'"*'-"'^'''■■'h«:;^^^^ 

ur  fourier     Monogamy  and  private  prosperity  are 
the  ma,„  characteristics  of  civilisation.     Th     ind 
v.du.l  f„m,ly  ,s  the  u„i,  ,f  „„  f,„,      3,,i„,i  JJ.  ™' 
by  opposing  interests."  "les  uivided 

sav'  flirt''  '""TT"^  .""  '''•°'"  "'"  P"-      r  need  hardly 

r^e    Thorn"  H     ,'"*■'  ''''"«'''>•'  ^-'l™''  Mau^ 
nee,  Thomas  Hughes,  and  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott,  to- 


«i    W--4^] 


A  PUBLIC  .MESSAGE  85 

«otl,cr  .ilh  w„„,e„   lil,.  ,,i,,   „,ill„r<l,   .ho  believe 
profoundlv  ,„  .  Cl,ris,:„„  n,.„,h..,.|,„,..,.  ,,„ve  no  I 
>.e»  of  ,„an.,.ge  „„d  „,e  f,.,„i,,    „,„„  „,,  „.^,.  ^^ 
Chr,sl  „„d  ,|„  ^.,.,  T«ta,„o„t.     Whatever  touches 

':i:,T«"^ "' "'"  ^•■""•'^-  '-•>«  ti'o  found,,,-:  of 

soc  otj  7  he  uuTcse  of  .livorces,  the  wicked  facUity 
«.ll.  .luch  u,e„  „nd  ,vo,„en  ,ever  the  .acred  tie.  the 
loose  and  sneering  eoneeplion  of  this  relation,  Jh  c| 
«  onlertamed  especially  by  ,ne„  and  wome,,  of  o 
other  a„„  ,„  Uf,,  ,,„,p,  ,„  „„^^^  the.nselves  al  t  i^ 
"  "'  ^^  7,7  ^">"'  ««  Pl"  of  a  Christian  Brothe 
hood   as   hell   from   heaven.     Over   8S,000   divorces 

pabbibty  of   temper!     Think   of  the  enonuity   of 

RepubUc?"™^      °""    "'    "■'   ^°™''"'-   »f    "- 

"If  incompatibility  of  temper  were  a  just  cause 

for  divorce,  how  many  marriages  would  stand  the  test  > 

It  .s  probably  true    that  during  the  first  few  vear, 

people,  the  majonty  of  husbands  and  wives  discover 
0  rtam  weaknesses  and  faults  in  each  other.     It  i 
also  probably  true,  that  a  majority  of  married  people 
find  ,n  certam  directions  that  their  taste,  diirer,?nd 

patihJiH :  '"t    ":  ■' "" ''""'"' "  ""■'  '■"—- 

patb,|,ty  of  te,„per,  shall  this  sacred  con,pact-lhe 
."osf  »,cred  known  to  hun,an  life^he  carelessly,  pas 
;-'.:..  or  cruelly  broken,  or  shall  it  be  the  aim' of 
'"■  '■  -  und  wfc.  who  have  grown  to  realize,  eve.  with 


VH 


fa  j.i 


J?  I 


i' 


I 

i 


'  i<- 


'!       i 


Is  I 


8«        THE  HEAHT  OF  THE  WORLD 

pain,  ll,c«  difference,  bctw«..„  ,|,o„,,   ,„  emphasize 
overtook  .„d   ,„in,„,;,,   ,h,„  ,-„  J      •«  ^^ 

each  other,  even  .,,i,o  „,o,  differ;  to  live  .„  JLr  . 
fnend,,  even  wi.on  they  discover  that  neither  one  „ 
en,  ,s  .„  „„«el.  The  „urria«e  relation  i,  of  , Jl 
tremendous  n„port„nee  i„  it,  he„ri„;j  „„  „,e  Xlo 
.oc,a Utrueturc  that  I  have  no  hesitation  n  ,a, '^^ 
ha    .t  „   ,„„„;,„,  better  for  „  husband  and  wy! 

o  e  they  thought  they  „„„  had  for  each  other  is 
"tally  g„„,,  tban  to  separate  on  account  of  tha     L 
0    even  because  each  thought  they  .uigh-  be  happT 
with  some  one  else.     I  believe  among  the  heroes  ™d 
hero.„es,  among  the  saints  „f  this  forhl,  iLrbe  n 
many  and  ..,„„y  a  married  couple,  .ho  lived  all  the" 

P«t.b,hty,  and  very  many  more  married  people,  ,vho. 

™arr,:ih'™™"''  "'  ",""  "'"'""'''"  4pla  iC 
Z  ^.P'""'^''  "'  '<«••  "'">.  »=  the  years  went  by 

recovered  .t,  ,.„d  gren-  to  love  each  „ther  more  ,,fd' 
more  tn,ly.  because  they  detern,ined  each  ocelot  o 
wreck  the  greatest  relation  in  life  through  a  weak  or 
weked  yeldiug  ,     ,  ,„,,,,  p_„^,  ,,«  ^"""^ - 

The  only  safe  marriages  are  those  of  genuine 

d'r  rhr"-;'",'""-^  -  "-"'^  «"«■-  ?"■  - 

mull  ;  ■''"'"°  """  "  '^  ""'.'•  through 

and  forbearance,  the  marriage  relation  can  be  sus- 


A   PUBLIC    MESSAGE  m 

taincd  in  its  fullest  happiness  and  power.  I  repeat, 
the  Christiti.i  Brotherhood  cannot  exist  on  any  other 
hasis  except  that  of  the  sacredness  of  the  family  life. 
Any  Socialism  which  contemplates  a  free  society, 
which  in  any  way  throws  contempt  on  this  relation, 
which  anticipates  anything  different  from  the  Chris- 
tian family,  in  its  one  husband  for  one  wife  until 
death  do  them  part,  such  Socialism  has  no  more 
right  to  be  entitled  to  tho  name  of  Christian  than  hell 
has  any  right  to  fje  bounded  with  the  pearly  gates  of 
the  new  Jerusalem." 

As  he  finished  this  sentence  Stanton  was  aware  of 
a  commotion  in  different  parts  of  the  hall.  Several 
men  and  women,  their  faces  inflamed  witji  passion, 
rose  and  began  to  go  out.  In  the  rear  of  the  hall, 
a  largo  man,  with  a  voice  like  tho  roar  of  some 
wild  animal,  stood  up  on  a  seat  and  waved  his  arms 
excitedly,  asking  Stanton  some  question  about  mar- 
riage, 

Stanton  stood  quiet  a  moment  and  then  sat  down. 
On  the  platform  with  him  that  night  were  several 
ministers,  pastors  of  the  local  churches  of  different 
denominations.  They  watched  him  curiously  to  see 
what  he  would  do  in  tho  face  of  this  new  turn  of 
affairs. 

The  man  on  the  seat  shouted  out  his  something  with 
a  bellow  that  filled  the  building.  The  audience  was 
variously  affected  by  what  had  happened.  There 
wnre  hisses  and  applause.  Some  stood  up  to  see 
the  man  who  was  making  the  disturbance.     Others 


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68   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

shouted  to  Stanton,  "Go  on!  Go  on!  He»8  a 
crank!"  Stanton  sat  like  an  image.  Not  a  muscle 
quivered,  not  a  sign  of  movement  was  visible.  The 
man  on  the  seat  bellowed  until  he  was  hoarse.  The 
audience  began  to  hiss  at  him  more  and  more,  and 
Stanton  kept  his  sent,  absolutely  unmoved. 

Finally,  the  man,  with  one  more  yell,  sat  down  sud- 
denly as  If  he  had  been  assisted  by  some  one  nearby, 
and  almost  instantly  the  audience  quieted  down,  until 
not  a  whisper  was  audible.     Stanton  deliberately  rose, 
and  ma  low  tone,  said  good-naturedly,  « If  the  brother 
back  there  will  kindly  remain  for  a  few  moments  after 
the    ecture  is  over,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  answer  his 
questions,  if  I  am  able.    But  I  do  not  consider  it  fair 
to  the  audience  to  introduce  that  feature  into  the  lec- 
ture itself." 

The  man  tried  to  shout  something,  but  the  audience 
jelled  at  him  to  quit,  and  he  subsided.  Stanton  went 
on  and  finished  the  lecture,  and,  at  the  close,  invited 
any  who  wished,  to  remain  for  a  conference  of  ques- 
tion and  answer. 

While  those  who  did  not  accept  his  invitation  were 
going  out,  Stanton  was  touched  and  deeply  helped  by 
the  warm  sympathy  of  the  ministers  who  had  been 
on  the  platform.  They  came  around  him  and  ex- 
pressed their  feelings  cordially. 

"I  never  understood  your  views  until  to-night, 
Brother  Stanton,"  said  the  IVIethodist  minister.  «I 
want  to  congratulate  you  on  your  Christian  soundness. 
I  expected  something  altogether  diflferent.  Your  views 


A    PUBLIC    MESSAGE  89 

on  the  marriage  question  ought  to  be  preached  from 

ever>  pulpit  in  America." 

^^^The    Congregational    minster    shook    his    hand 

^  "I'm  with  you,  Brother  Stanton,  on  what  jou  said 
a  t,e  close  of  the  lecture,  on  the  factor  of  love  as 
twe  only  foundation  on  which  to  build  up  a  structure 
of  socml  progress.  I  have  read  all  the  current  books 
and  articles  on  social  reconstruction,  and  I  am  sick  at 
heart  over  their  omissions  of  the  greatest  factor  of  aV 
the  one  thing  Christ  emphasized  most.     The  Lord 

The  Baptist,  Christian,  and  Presbyterian  ministers 
were  also  hearty  i„  their  words  of  encouragement,  and 
Stanton,  whose  heart  was  in  love  with  the  Church,  in 
spite  of  Samt  Cecilia,  felt  a  strange  and  almost  over- 
whelming desire  to  weep  at  the  evidence  of  their 
Lnnstian  fellowship. 

To  his  surprise,  fully  half  the  audience  had 
remained  to  the  conference.  He  asked  the  people  to 
get  together  m  the  middle  of  the  hall,  and  as  soon  as 
they  were  quiet  he  called  for  the  man  who  wanted  to 
ask  questions  about  marriage. 

Some  one  down  near  the  door  laughed 
"That  was  StoUwitz.    He  works  in   the  roller  mills. 
His  wife  came  after  him  just  at  the  close  of  the  meet- 
-g.  and  he  followed  her  out  as  meek  as  a  lamb." 

or  tT  ^°\*'^'  ""'  *°  ^'^  ^""^'^  '''  '■"«"<>-'  ^'•-nd, 
or  tell  me  where  to  find  him.^"  asked  Stanton.     A 


I' 


90 


THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


I 


workingman  down  near  the  platform  said  he  knew, 
and  gave  Stanton  the  address. 

The  conference  went  on  for  an  hour.  A  majority 
of  the  Eudience  were  workingmen.  They  put  such 
questions  as  these: 

"Do  you  believe  in  trade-unions?" 

"  Is  marriage  oftener  a  failure  with  the  rich  than 
with  the  poor  ?  " 

"You  said  the  Sabbath  was  being  desecrated  more 
and  more  by  the  working  people  of  America.  How 
about  those  big  corporations  like  railroads,  cement, 
and  oil  works,  and  large  mills  that  run  every  day  in 
the  week,  and  make  it  impossible  for  thousands  of 
working  people  to  have  one  day  of  rest  in  seven  ?  " 

"Wouldn't  the  churches  get  nearer  the  workers  if 
they  abolished  pew-rents,  and  paid  their  preachers  no 
more  than  average  labor  is  paid  ?  " 

"If  one  reason  the  workingmen  spend  so  much 
money  for  beer,  is  the  wretched  condition  of  the  aver- 
age tenement,  bad  cooking,  and  so  forth,  how  about 
the  men  who  own  the  tenements,  some  of  whom  are 
church  members .'' " 

"  Isn't  it  a  fact  that  most  of  the  divorces  you  spoke 
of  were  among  well-to-do  people,  not  among  the 
poor  or  average  workers  ?  " 

"To  what  extent  did  Charles  Kingsley,  Thomas 
Hughes,  and  Frederick  Maurice  believe  in  socialism?  " 

"  Do  you  think  the  negro  is  entitled  to  all  the  rights 
of  a  citizen  ?  " 

"Last  January,  February,  and  March,  of  1902, 


A    PUBLIC    MESSAGE 


91 


300  employees  were  klHcd,  and  2834;  injured  in  rail- 
road accidents  in  this  country-.  During  those  three 
months  1650  trains  were  in  collision,  and  1181  trains 
were  derailed.  Adding  the  accidents  sustained  by 
railroad  employees  in  shops,  due  to  machinery,  there 
was  a  total,  during  the  three  months,  of  827  killed, 
and  11,481  injured.  Do  you  think  it  is  fair  to  sup- 
pose that  most  of  these  fatalities  were  caused  by 
carelessness  on  the  part  of  men  at  work  ?  It  is  a 
fact  that  more  men  are  killed  by  machinery  every 
year  in  America  than  were  killed  during  the  entire 
Boer  War.     Who  is  most  to  blame  for  it  ?  " 

"  If  the  scab  insists  on  his  right  to  work  anywhere, 
and  for  any  wages  he  pleases,  without  joining  any 
Union,  even,  if  in  doing  so,  he  robs  my  wife  and  chil- 
dren of  bread,  am  I  to  love  him?  Is  it  not  asking  too 
much  of  human  nature  to  do  that.?" 

This  is  sufficient  to  give  some  idea  of  the  kind  of 
questions  that  poured  in  on  Stanton  for  an  hour.  The 
people  were  for  the  most  part  good-natured,  and  evi- 
dently wanted  to  get  honest  answers  to  fair  queries. 
When  Stanton  finally  asked  them  to  join  him  in  a 
prayer  at  the  close,  there  was  a  respectful  quiet. 
Several  men  came  up  to  shake  hands,  even  at  that 
la'  hour.  One  of  them,  a  modest,  quiet-appearing 
mui.,  about  Stanton's  own  age,  gave  his  name  as 
Colfax. 

"  Arc  you  the  Colfax  who  has  organized  those  new 
grocery  stores  in  this  part  of  the  State?"  Stanton 
asked,  with  great  interest. 


1-^ 


i  Si 
1 1| 


ai 


iii 


» i  I 


!  . 


M 


.«•,,'>  'm. 


9«        THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

"  I  expect  I  am.    Would  be  glad  to  see  you  and  get 
-ore  hght,"  Colfax  said  .nodestly.     «« Can't  you  com 
around   m   the  morning  ? " 

S1,Iim''     ^  .^^,''"/^   ^'''"^'^"  to-morrow  evening. 
aiiaJl  1  come  m  the  forenoon  .f* " 

Colfax  nodded,  and  gave  Stanton  his  card.     The 
next  mornmg  Stanton  found  himself  in  Colfax's  little 


^fflSHSHH^ 


\III 


I 


TWO   OF   THE   BROTHERHOOD 

'VE    heard  of  your  plan,  Mr.  Colfax.     I'm 

interested.     Tell  me  about  it." 

"I  don't  claim  anything  great  or  original  In 
my    business,"    Colfax    answered    modestly.     «My 
father  was  a  very  rich  man,  as  perhaps  you  know 
But  I  couldn't  see  that  his  money  gave  him  any  com- 
fort.    The  year  before  he  died,  during  the  great 
panic  of  '57,  he  lost  everything,  and  I  began  life  as 
a  poor  boy.     I  clerked  it  in  a  grocery  store  for  ten 
years,  and  saved  up  enough  in  that  time  to  start  on 
my  own  account.     The  first  rule  I  made  for  myself 
was  this :     I  never  want  to  get  rich  in  business.     I've 
added  to  that  rule  the  following,  which  for  the  last 
eight  years  have  worked  out  well: 

^  "  Business   for   the  day   closes   promptly   at   six 
o  clock. 

"  AH  employees  are  paid  In  full  at  the  close  of 
each  day. 

I'  All  transactions  are  cash,  and  no  books  arc  kepf 
'All  goods  are  sold  at  cost  after  $2.50  profits  for 
the  day  has  been  made. 

"  There  is  no  delivery  service. 

''  Premises  personally  guarded  against  fire  to  save 
the  amount  of  insurance  premium. 

83 


If 


fll 


ill 

m 


li 


Iff  9^    '1 


^D-'i^—xsaM'^e.    «43f-_ 


94   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

stock!""  ^'^"°'''  ''*^^"'  °'  *°^^"°  "'  """^d  >■" 

"  To  the  poor,  all  goods  are  sold  at  cost  at  all 
times. 

"You  may  be  interested,  Mr.  StanLon,  in  the  fol- 
lowing n^sults.  I  have  now  fifteen  stores,  the  daily 
prohts  ot  winch  are  $2.50;  annual  profits,  313  work- 
ing days,  are  $782.50.  Annual  profits  of  all  t',e 
stores  are  $11,731.50.  These  profits  are  distributed 
partly  ,„  helpmg  the  poor  ;  partly  in  opening  new 
stores.     That's  about  all."  ^ 

"But  I  hear  you  are  having  some  trouble  with  the 
trade-unions.     How  is  that?" 
Colfax  smiled  slightly. 

"It's  true.  They  began  to  boycott  me  a  month 
ago  bee  use  clerks  were  not  men.bers  of  the  Union. 
At  first  I  lost  considerable  trade.  Then  people  heard 
of  it,  and  began  to  rush  me  so  that  I  couldn't  wait  on 
us  o^ers,  and  I  made  a  new  rule."  He  pointed  to  a 
card  over  the  counter,  which  read,  "Hep  yourself 

and  leave  the  money  at  the  desk"     "  ^'  . 

„^.  1      .     ,,  -^  uf~i>K.  \ou  see  every 

articles  ,„  the  store  is  .nnrked  i„  p|„i„  fij,„„,,  jj^  J_ 

■ng  pnce      I  think  I  have  lost  a  ver,   little  ^v      L 

method   through  the  dishonest,  of  .  fe.  ^,,1  "  ' 

.t  doesn't  beg,n  to  compare  with  the  losses    he  ave  ,. " 

grocer  sustains  ever,  da,  through  careless  e.t  a  t 

gance  and  lack  of  saving  habits.     The  store  .  Ube 

crowded  all  da,  to-da,.  But  Til  have  to  move  „u    on 

account  „f  the  owner  of  the  building.     Th     VnZ 

threaten,  to  bo,cott  him,  and  he  clain,f  he  can't^rand 


■■\\. 


TWO   OF   TPIE    HHOTHERHOOD        95 

I'm    not    able    tc    buy,    and    shall 


the    pressure, 
move." 

"Will    your 
trouble  ?  " 

"I    don't    think 


clerk 


s    join    the    Union    to    avoid 


so 


»» 


Colfax    answered    quietly. 
"  Two  of  them  have  already  been  attacked  by  members 
of  the  Union  on  the  strett.     It  isn't  likely  they  will 
join  an  organization  that  employs  such  methods.     I 
can't  urge  them  to  do  so,  just  to  save  me.     Besides,  I 
don't  brieve  in  that  way  of  doing  busuiess.     For  the 
last  five  years  I  have  sold  goods  to  the  members  of 
the  trade-unions  in  this  city  at  cost.     They  now  turn 
against  me  with  a  boycott,  because  my  clerks  do  not 
belong  to  the  Union.     I  don't  hate  them,  you  under- 
stand, Mr.   Stanton.     But  my  convictions  are  such 
that  I  shall  continue  to  do  business  on  the  same  plan, 
and  hire  my  clerks  anywhere  from  the  most  honest, 
reliable  men  I  can  find.     I  don't  claim,  either,  that  my 
plan  of  doing  business  will  bring  in  the  millennium. 
B  .,       •    '-now  that  I  am  a  far  happier  man  than  my 
f"  with  his  great  wealth,  and  also  hope  that  a 

g<     :  y   other  people  are   made  happier  by   my 

metnuus.  How  the  matter  between  t/ie  Unions  and 
myself  will  come  out,  I  don't  know.  Time  will  settle 
that.  But  I  am  a  great  believer  in  human  progress, 
and  I  believe  the  members  of  tne  Unions  will,  in  time, 
use  other  methods  to  gain  their  ends." 

Stanton  left  him,  impressed  with  the  man's  modest 
sincerity,  and  musing  over  his  statement  about  being 
happier  than  his  father.   "  Truly,  it  is  a  great  fact," 


if. 


fi 


m 


'-•/^^jS  "^t  <■ 


tt:- 


^r.:r7,W.~7Z-. 


i 


96        THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

he  said  to  himself,  as  he  went  down  towards  the  roller 
mills,  near  which  Stollwitz  lived,  "  that  as  Jesus  said, 
•  A  man's  life  does  not  consist  of  the  abundance  of 
thuigs  that  he  possesses.'  'Mai.  shall  not  live  by 
bread  alone.'  If  what  we  are  after  is  happiness,  how 
foolishly  we  stumble  and  strive  after  it,  learning 
nothing,  apparently,  from  the  mistakes  and  troubles 
of  those  who  have  made  history  in  vain  for  us." 

It  was  his  keen  sense  of  justice  that  sent  him  down 
into  the  neighborhood  of  the  roller  mills,  to  find  this 
workman  who  had  disturbed  his  meeting.  What  was 
one  poor  laborer  more  or  less?  Yet,  Stanton  groping 
h.s  way  toward  a  deepe  sympathy  and  quicker  ap- 
prehension in  all  tilings  that  belong  to  the  life  of  man, 
was  rapidly  growing  more  charitable  in  his  judgments 
of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 

He  found  the  number  of  Stollwitz's  house,  and 
knocked  at  the  door,  not  expecting  to  see  the  man 
himself,  for  he  had  been  told  that  he  worked  on  the 
night  shift,  and  would  probably  be  asleep.  But,  to  his 
surprise,  the  man  himself  opened  the  door,  and  stood 
m  the  narrow  passage-way  staring  at  him. 

" I'm  Mr.  Stanton,  the  man  v,ho  was  trying  to  talk 
last  night,  while  you  were  trying  to  do  the  same 
thing,"  said  Stanton,  with  a  smile.  «I  came  down 
here  to  find  out  what  it  was  you  wanted  to  ask,  as 
you  didn't  stay  for  the  after-meeting." 

The  man  stared  so  long  and  hard  that  Stanton  was 
in  great  doubt  as  to  his  sanity.  But  suddenly  he 
burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter,  and  putting  out  a  hand 


.A»9LV. 


TWO  OF   THE   BUOTHERIIOOD        97 

that  looked,  for  size  arul  shape,  hke  a  sugar-cured 
ham,  he  said,  in  a  voice  that  a  vegetable  vender  would 
have  considered  worth  half  the  season's  profits- 

"  ^y "*t^r  Stanton !  Con.e  in,  sir !  I'm  honored  and 
dehghted!"  He  drag,  .d  Stanton  through  a  narrow 
hall,  mto  a  small,  but  astonishingly-  neat  room,  at  one 
end  of  which  a  small  woman  was  frying  something  on 
a  stove.  ** 

"Katherine,  Dr.  Stanton-the  author  of  The 
Christian  Socialist." 

Katherine  wiped  her  hands  on  her  apron,  and  shook 
hands  shyly,  but  without  anj  other  mark  of  embar- 
rassment. Stollwitz  pointed  to  a  chair,  and  seemed  to 
be  profoundly  pleased.  He  laughed  and  made  great 
noises  that  were  like  a  mingling  of  foreign  languages 
and  an  attempt  to  swallow  something  out  of  a  pitcher. 
At  last,  Stanton  noting  the  preparations  for  a  meal 
that  was  going  on,  said : 

"Mr  Stollwitz,  I  did  not  mean  to  interrupt  your 
breakfast,  but »  f    j  ^ir 

"Interrupt!  Mj  friend,  that  breakfast  will  not  be 
interrupted.  Sit  up  with  us.  Katherine,  are  you 
ready.?     Shall  I  oj       the  door.?" 

His  wife  nodde.  .s  she  set  some  dishes  down  on 
the  table,  and  Stollwitz  went  to  a  door  at  the  other 
end,  unlocked  it,  and  opened  it,  and  there  poured  out 
and  into  the  room,  as  if  released  from  pn...ssure  behind, 
five  children,  whose  names  the  big  mechanic  gave  to 
btanton,  as  the  owno..  of  them  gravely  went  up  to 
urs  and  stood  by  V  ^m.     "Children,  this  is 


their 


98 


THE   HEART  OF  TIIK  WORLD 


Dr   Fredrick  Stanton,  .ho  ha,  honored  u,  extremely 
b^;  h,.  v„„.    Gertrude,  Luther,  Han,,  Wil|i.„,  Rath^ 

Z-Jr'"-''-'"-^— .-^.hcgr^cetht 

All  the  funuly  stood  up  around  the  table,  and  the 
^J.^  ,eUo.-haired  youth,  of  .ome  twehe  ,ea„! 

"For  aU  the  bleMing,  of  the  night. 
For  all  the  merejes  of  the  light 
Father,  we  thank  llice  for  Ihem  .11. 
Be  with  us  tm  the  •hsdow,  f,l|.    Amen." 

before  he  knew  it,  Stanton  „.,  seated  with  the  „"t 
«lo„„hed  to  find  himself,  i„,tead  of  in  the  pre,e„ee 
of  one  of  the  sullen,  blacant  specimen,  of  foreign  life 

Clisl:r "  '"  '"'"•  ■■"  '"^  '-'*  »'  »  '-' 

silii!","  ""f  *T '"  ""'"'^  '"^-  ™y  ^<"  »M 

What  would  you  think,  sir,  I  was  with  Herr  :tau- 
ber  ,  family  ,ome  time  ago,  and  one  of  hi,  boy,,  just 
home  from  college,  a,ked  the  grace,  and  he  said,  'O 
Lord  have  mercy  on  these  victual,  !'  but  Stauber 

aJwTu    •*"  *""'  '"^•""■"«  """S  with  that. 
And  his  table  is  not  any  too  weU  provided  for  at  any 

Stanton  began  to  think  he  should  never  get  around 
to  the  question  StoUwitz  had  tried  to  ask^he  light 
before.     The  novelty  of  the  situation  appealed  to  Wm 


.-.*.-_   ^  .       -  —■ 


■mc-i^^i  :--m 


TWO   OF   THE    nROTlIKUriOOD         Of) 

and  ho  tlu,n,..gl.U  enjov..!  .verv  n.iuu..,  althouKl.  ho 
1""'  almulv  ha<l  one  L.vakfas^  at  the  houl 

.    "^y?;"-;'''^''.''Mr..Stolhv.t..sauli„a,,auso.clur- 
|".-h,ch  he.Ha.sh.  ,;j- 

<m  to  work  at  ...idni^^ht,  and  does  his  eight  hours 
l^^^w,.  ;...usuall,    lato    about    g^-ing    hack    this 

"  Hi  he  non-un.on  nan.  A.h  !  Why  c-annot  „,en  h^vo 
l.kobrethrenMtrv  to  preach  it.  Thev  hu.gh.  Ver: 
few  does  anvtning  n.ore!"  He  put  a  Hst  on  the  tabfe 
l.at  „as  as  b,g  as  a  loaf  of  brown  biead,  and  the 
-wdlest  clnld,  Katherine.  regarded  it  with  big-ey  d 

"But  the  question.  What  did  you  want  to  ask 
rot  erP'V.,,  Stanton.  "  Pardon  .e,  but  I  tLXl' 
OHO  :^ou  an  apology.  I  thought  you  were  one  of  those 
.nen  who  try  to  break  up  a  n.eeting  with  useless  .r..- 
ments.  I  know,  now,  that  you  are  not  that  .ind." 
He  s,mled  at  the  fan.ily  circle,  and  with  that  sn,...  he 
cuugM  the  aJFe.tions,  forever,  of  the  entire,  s.;. 
deep-hearted  household  of  Franz  Stollwitz 

"Well,  Dr.  Stanton,  all  I  wanted  to  ask  was " 

He  broke  down  with  his  big  laugh,  as  if  it  had  an 
explosne  quality  in  it  that  had  the  properties  of  dyna- 
;-  e  and  exerted  its  force  in  all  directions  equ^;;,. 
All  I  wanted  to  ask  was  if  you  were  married  your- 
-li,  and  knew   what  you   were   talking  about  frol 


f      < 


1 

ii 


lii 


lijLy 


in 


100   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

actual  knowledge.     Would  that  have  broken  up  the 
meeting?" 

"I'm  afraid  it  would,"  said  Stanton,  laughing, 
while  Mrs.  Stollwitz  eyed  her  big  husband  reproach- 
fully. 

"Well,  when  the  crowd  yelled  sit  down,  and  called 

me  crank,  that  raised  one  crop  of  dander  on  me,  and 

I  tned  to  make  my  question  heard,  but  the  people 

around  me  were  fools,  and  then  I  forgot  my  English, 

and  talked  German,  so  you  did  not  understand.    When 

I  get  excited,  sometimes,  I  forget  all  English.     Then 

I  need  a— what  you  cfill  'cm— an  interrupter.     Then 

Katrina  pulled  my  coat,  and  I  went  away." 

"She  was  a  good  interrupter,"  said  Stanton  with  a 
twmkle. 

"  Yah,"  said  Franz  gravely.  «  Katrina  knows  when 
It  IS  good  to  keep  still.  Rut  how  about  that,  Dr.  Stan- 
ton .?     Re  you  one  married  man  }  " 

"  Indeed  I  am,  friend,  and  very  happily  so.  I  have 
her  picture  here,  and  I  am  willing  to  have  you  judge 
It  she  i»  not  the  sweetest-faced  woman  in  the  world  " 

He  took  out  the  little  case  with  its  photograph,  that 
he  had  told  Mildred  he  would  always  carry  with  him 
on  h,s  lecture  trips,  and  it  was  passed  from  hand  to 
hand,  provokmg  exclamations  of  delight.  Stollwitz 
nodded  gravely. 

«  Ach !  You  have  a  right  to  make  a  few  remarks  on 
the  question  of  marriage.  She  is  one  handsome 
woman.     She  is  of  the  Lord,  my  friend." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Stanton,  deeply  touched.     All 


■"**»-. -^_. 


'm^^^^m- 


TWO   OF    THE    BROTHERHOOD       101 

through  thar  sLnple  ,neal  it  seomccl  to  him  that  he  had 
been  drawn.g  near  so.„othi„.  olen.entall.v  sin.ple,  and 
a  ho  san.e  tune  fundan.ental.  It  struck  iL  that 
Stollw.tz  and  h.s  fa„.ily  nu^l.t  be  of  the  .stuff  that 
ep.cs  are  woven  out  of,  and  that  those  vellou-haired, 

r  her  hentage  for  blessing  than  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  upper  circles,  where  simplicity  and  ele- 
mental virtues  have  been  choked  and  killed  by  tl  e 
artificial  customs  of  society. 

When  he  rose  to  go  away,  Stollwitz  pulled  a  book 
out  of  a  little  shelf  behind  the  door 

"We  road  your  book  aloud,  Dr.  Stanton,  Katrina 
-d  .  It  helped  us.  I  .ould  have  stayed  lust  night 
to  tell  you  so,  but  the  troubles  at  the  mills  made  it 
..oedful  for  me  to  go  to  n,y  place  earlier.  That  is 
Hhut  Katrina  came  to  call  me  about.  God  bless  you. 
l  ome  and  see  us  again." 

Ho  shook  l,a„,k  licartib-  «ith  all  the  members  of 

he  fnm,Iy,  ami  „he„  l,e  oa.ne  to  bahy  Katherine,  ho 

k.»sed  hor,  wh,le  the  tears  eame  into  the  eyes  of  bi« 

^  ollw,,.  „„d  ,„-s  „,.f,     T|,oy  ..atehed  him  until  h! 

™odtheoo™erbythomiM.a,.dhowo„this».ay 
ttafcmg  God  f„r  the  little  ehapter  that  had  become  I 
part  of  the  book  of  his  own  life 

His  engageinents  took  him  away  from  Lenox  for 
nearly  two  weeks,  and  when  he  returned  one  evening, 
he  came  home  with  a  varied  experience  that  he  antict 
pated  telhng  to  his  wife.  On  the  whole,  the  people  had 
received  lum  kindly,  and  !:e  had  some  reason  to  be W 


.1'. 
Ml 


102      THE   HEART  OF   THE  WORLD 

that  his  message  had  met  with  a  response  from  the 
people.  There  had  been  some  opposition.  At  one  or 
two  places  people  in  the  audience,  angered  at  his 
plain  statements,  had  gone  out  of  the  meeting,  and 
others  had  let  him  feel  their  opposition  by  means  of 
letters  or  speech.  But  for  the  most  part,  the  signs  of 
a  growing  promise  for  the  growing  Brotherhood 
seemed  bright  to  him,  and  he  rejoiced  with  a  glow  of 
hope  in  the  good  report  he  was  able  to  make  to  his 
wife. 

The  minute  he  got  out  of  the  train  at  Lenox  he 
was  aware  of  some  very  unusual  disturbance  in  the 
town.  The  air  was  charged  with  high  excitement. 
Looking  over  into  the  great  public  square  near  the 
passenger  depot,  he  was  thrilled  at  the  sight  of  a 
dense  mob  gathered  about  a  negro,  who  was  standing 
on  a  great  pile  of  wood,  which  seemed  to  be  composed 
of  railroad  ties,  pieces  of  sidewalk,  broken  drygoods 
boxes  and  barrels. 

At  the  foot  of  this  pile  an  insane  mob  surged  like 
demons,  striking  at  the  negro's  figure  with  clubs,  axes, 
bars  from  piping  torn  from  the  little  depot  flower- 
garden  plot.  Other  men  were  pouring  something  on 
the  wood  at  the  negro's  feet. 

"What  is  it?"  Stanton  asked  of  no  one  in  par- 
ticular. The  horror  of  a  deep  inhuman  act  struck 
him  with  a  chill  of  intense  numbing  pain.  He  had  a 
sudden  nausea,  and  his  temples  throbbed  heavily. 

"  They  are  going  to  burn  him  alive,  and  serve  him 
right,"  the  station-master  said,  with  an  oath. 


■■4:4^^ 


rf 


TWO   OF    THE    BROTHERHOOD       103 

"  They  shall  not  do  it  if  there  is  a  God  in  heaven  ! " 
Stanton  leaped  off  the  platform  edge  and  ran  across 
the  flower-plot  towards  the  scene.  As  he  ran,  he 
sobbed  to  himself,  « It  is  Christian  America !  O  God, 
for  Christ's  sake,  forbid  it.  They  know  not  what 
they  do!" 


Ii. 


'W 


•!;( 


i: 


iH. 


ij--.»:grTBj  '---ntjlj] 


IX 

THE    FRUITS  OF  THE  SYSTEM 

THE  next  moment  Stanton  had  fought  his  way 
into  the  mob  and  was  pleading  with  it,  nc* 

mand  Z  "'  "''"'^'  ^"'"'^*^"^'  threatening,  L- 

mandmg  He  was  astounded  to  note  in  the  crowd 
some  of  th^  most  prominent  business  and  professional 
men  ,n  Lenox,  swept  off  their  feet  bj  the  frenzy  of 
the  mob  spjnt.  0,.e  of  these  men  roughly  shoved 
Stanton  as,de  as  he  flung  an  armful  of  wood  down  on 
the  awful  p,le  rising  around  the  negro,  who  was 
chamed  to  a  street-car  rail. 

"He  murdered  a  white  man  and  woman  down  on 
the  nood  road  behind  the  mills,  Dr.  Stanton  " 

«I  didn't  do  it!  I  am  not  guilty!"  shrieked  the 
poor  wretch,  wnthin^  i„  the  chain  that  had  been 
wound  around  his  body.  And  as  Stanton  gazed  on 
him,  he  recognized  the  negro  who  had  fought  for  life 
the  night  of  the  riot  between  the  union  and  non- 
union  men. 

"Let  the  courts  do  their  work!    Don't  murder  an 
.nnocent  man ! "  shouted  Stanton.    His  voice  was  like 
Lit      .n  .1,0  midst  of  the  felling  demons  in  tha 
hell-possessed  square.     Some  one  flung  a  lighted  news- 
paper on  the  0,1-so.kcd  wood.     It  biased  up  at  once. 


■»^:^ 


f 


THE    FRUITS   OF   THE    SYSTEM     105 

and  the  negro  screamed  in  a  cry  so  frightful  that  for 
a  moment  those  nearest  his  figure  fell  hack 

Stanton  flung  himself  on  the  blaze,  and  with  feet 
and  han  s  scattered  the  pieces  of  wood,  crving  aloud 

c our  e      Th         7  ""  '''  "^"  '"^  '''  '''  '^^^  ^^'^  '*« 

iT  k      S  T'f  """"''  ^'  ""^  ^^"^»'*  «"d  flung 

back.     Several  strong  arms  held  him,  while  the  mob 

thre.  the  fagots  around  the  wretch  and  sot  them  afire 
aga.n.    As  the  blaze  curled  up  around  his  feet  a  p  sto 
si-t  rang  „,,,  then  a  second  and  a  third.    The  negro' 
head  dropped   his  bod,  sank  down,  an  inert  n.assi.eld 
up  by     he  Cham,  and  the  flames   and  smoke   rolled 

That  was  all  Stanton  remembered,  mercifully  for 
hm.  untd  he  ca„,e  to  himsel/,  to  find  that  he  was  lyin. 
on  the  grass-plot  of  the  railroad  flower-park  witS 
Harvey  bendmg  over  him.  Afterwards  he  learned 
that  Harvey  had  dragged  him  out  of  the  crowd  in  a 
t^mting  condition  and  perhaps  saved  his  life 

Han-ey    was    kneeling   between    Stanton    and    the 
sn^ouldenng  heap  of  nameless  horror  in  the  square 
The  mob  was  fighting  to  get  up  to  that  awful  heap  to 
secure  souvenirs  of  the  evening. 

fh  "  ^"'f.^''  ^""^  "'"  *"^'  ^'^Soar^cc  on  the  people  for 
this  night's  dreadful  deed,"  groaned  Stanton  feebly 
If  there  is  a  God,"  replied  Harvey  rouo-hly    "I 
W   my   doubts   about   it.     But   you've   do^e'your 

"  It  has  not  availed  anything,"  Stanton  exclaimed 


I 


PL, 

IF 


106      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

faintly  "Rut  I  believe  in  a  God  if  you  don't,  Har- 
vey and  I  know  he  will  viait  this  city  with  punish- 
ment  for  this  outrage." 

"The  man  and  woman  were  killed  by  some  one  do-n 
on  the  Wood  road,  and  the  negro  was  found  near  the 
8cene  under  suspicious  circumstances.  Some  one  had 
to  be  sacrificed  to  the  desire  for  vengeance  » 

'♦I   believe  he   was   innocent,"  groaned   Stanton. 

His  guiltless  blood  will  cry  out  against  us  from  the 

ground.    And  think  of  the  eyes  that  have  been  ruined 

by  the  sight  of  this  horror.     How  can  they  ever 

behold  any  thing  pure  or  holy  again ! " 

"  Come  on  home,  Stanton.  You  can't  do  anything, 
more  here.  Are  you  fit  to  walk.P"  Harvey  helped 
him  to  his  feet  and  went  home  with  him,  Stanton,  all 
the  way,  nanging  his  head  in  shame  for  Lenox,  and 
.^hen  Mildred  greeted  him  he  broke  down  under  ♦he 
strain  as  she  put  her  arms  about  him  and  mingled  her 
griet  with  his  over  the  awful  event. 

To  the  credit  of  the  Lenox  Times  next  day,  it  de- 

ZTl  ^.r'*""  °'  '^'  ""^  ^"  '  ^^"S"--  editorial, 
and  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  if  the  after-facts 
should  prove  the  ^  :ctim  to  be  innocent,  he  w    ,ld  be 
the  nineteenth  negro  to  be  lynched  within  six  months 
withm  the  United  States,  eleven  of  whom  were  inno- 
cent of  the  crime  attributed  to  them.     "  Even  suppos- 
ing this  man  to  be  guilty,"  the  editorial  continued, 
the  mob  spirit  is  the  mark  of  barbarism.    It  is,  how- 
ever   becoming  alarmingly   common.      There   is   no 
doubt  the  courts  are  largely  to  blame  for  it      The 


k    >•*! 


'^    ._.. 


"m^Mf^M^Mri^^isr. 


3 


THE    FRUITS    OF    THE    SYSTEM     107 

law's  delays  have  been  noforlous.     Espcciallv  is  it  true 
that   justice   has    often    been    defeated,    and    guilty 
men  permitted  to  go  free  when  the  accused  has  been  a 
person  of  wealth  or  influence.    This  fact  i.,  no  doubt 
responsible  to  a  large  degree  for  the  presence  of  the 
mob  in  American  life  to-daj.    The  people  have  grown 
to  have  a  deep  distrust  of   the  regular  court  proceed- 
ings.   The  remedy  for  Lynch  law  is  an  incorruptible 
court  which  acts  promptly,  not  depriving  any  man  of 
a  fair  opportunity  to  prove  his  innocence,  but  without 
permitting  delays  on  technical  points  of  law,  and  upon 
convictions,  at  once  meting  out  punishment  in  keeping 
with  the  crime." 

Stanton  rested  quietly  at  home  during  the  day, 
heartsore  over  tV  disgrace  and  shame  that  had  fallen 
on  the  town.  After  supper  Harvey  called,  with  news 
of  serious  nature. 

"It's  as  you  said.  Dr.  Stanton.     The  negro  was 
innocent.    The  guilty  man  was  found  late  this  after- 
noon by  Sheriff  Johns,  who  was  absent  last  night  in 
Anson  county.     If  he  had  been  here  the  mob  would 
not  have  been  possible,  I  believe.     You  know  Johns. 
He's  'he  best  sheriff  we  ever  had.  The  minute  news 
came  of  the  murder  on  the  Wood  road,  he  started  out. 
He  got  a  clue  that  took  him  over  into  Anson  county. 
Sheriff  Raines  joined  him,  and  the  man  was  brought 
to  bay  in  a  barn.     He  confessed  his  guilt,  but  shot 
himself  dead  before  he  could  be  caught.     That's  the 
story  that  all  the  town  is  talking  over  to-night.     If 
it's  true " 


I-   If] 


ifei 


i>  p  -r 


p 


108   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

"If  it's  true,"  Stanton  cxclnlmod,  as  iie  walked  up 
and  down  in  front  of  Harvey,  ^' this  town  is  guilty  of 
u  fearful  crime  before  God.  'Vengeance  is  mine,  I 
will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.' " 

"  The  Lord  is  the  only  one  who  will  repay,"  mut- 
tered Harvey. 

'•  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  exclaimed  Mildred  in  horror 
a*  Harvey's  inferc^ce,  "that  this  negro's  murder  will 
go  unpunished  in  the  courts?     Why,  father  is  Judge 

of  the  Di»trict  Court.    Do  you  mean ?  " 

"Your  father  is  the  soul  of  honor,  Mrs.  Stanton," 
said  Harvey  quietly.  "He  is  the  fairest  judge  in 
some  ways  that  ever  sat  on  the  bench.  And  yet,  you 
will  pardon  me  for  saying  it,  he  has  repeatedly,  in  the 
course  of  his  long  service  in  the  District  Court,  per- 
mitted laws  delayed  on  technicalities,  where  he  might 
and  should  lawfully  have  ruled  for  a  swifter  and  surer 
justice.  Resides,  in  this  case,  the  judge  is  powerless 
if  the  County  Attx)rney  does  not  bring  action.  And  if 
any  one  supposes  that  County  AUorney  Paley  will 

ever  bring  any  action  against  the  mob " 

He  left  his  sentence  unfinished  with  a  contempt  that 
was  deeper  than  words  could  make  it,  and  Stanton 
gravely  eyed  him  and  his  wife,  conscious  that  Harvey 
spoke  the  truth. 

"Do.vs  any  one  wonder,"  said  Harvey  gloomily, 
"  that  some  of  us  want  to  see  a  different  order  of  soci- 
ety in  the  world  from  the  one  we've  got  now?  Will 
you  say,  Stanton,  that  under  the  present  monopolistic, 
plutocratic  rule  the  people  get  justice  in  any  large 


THE    FRUITS    OF   THE    SYSTEM 


109 


I 


quantity?  The  men  arnuncJ  poor  Hill  Warren  last 
night,  some  of  them  were  among  the  host  known  men 
in  Lenox.  You  sec  if  any  of  them  arc  ever  arrested 
for  this  crime.  Yet  if  some  poor  striker  breaks  a  law, 
he's  jacked  up  without  any  delay  and  punished  to  the 
limit.  J.  B.  Wrightam  breaks  a  dozen  laws  of  the 
State  every  day  of  his  life,  and  no  one  interferes. 
That's  because  he's  a  millionaire.  He  drives  his  auto- 
mobile through  the  streets  of  Lenox  twice  as  fast  as 
the  ordinance  says  is  lawful,  but  who  ever  heard  of  his 
being  arrested.''  If  I  were  to  drive  a  horse  a  fraction 
beyond  the  speed  allowed,  you  know  I  would  hear 
from  it  quick  enough.  It  is  just  such  facts  that  make 
Socialists.  And  the  lawless  rich  will  have  themselves 
to  blame  one  of  these  days  if  they  wake  up  some  fine 
morning  to  a  new  order  of  things,  in  which  they  shall 

be  obliged  to  obey  the  laws  or  suffer  the  consequences." 
"  It  will  never  be  along  the  track  of  compulsion  or 

hatred.  Brother  Harvey." 

"  I  don't  care  along  what  track  it  comes,  so  long  as 

it  gets  here,"  Harvey  replied,  as  he  got  up  to  go. 

"  But  you  mark  my  prophecy.    XoL  a  man  that  helped 

murder  Bill  Warren  will  ever  suffer  for  it  from  Lenox 

justice." 

" '  Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay,'  saith  th^  Lord," 

murmured  Stanton  sadly,  as  Harvey  went  out.    "  The 

world  is  in  the  hands  of  a  just  God.     If  not  now, 

inevitably,  sometime,  every  evil  deed  of  selfish  men 

shall  receive  its  just  punishment." 

"  I'd  like  to  see  some  of  it  handed  out  now,"  said 


Ife 


Mil 

i-f  If 

w 


I'! 


■1^ 


f  i 


110      THE   HEART  OF   THE  WORLD 

Harvej  with  his  grim  smile.     "  I'm  tired  of  waiting 
for  eternity  to  even  things  up." 

"God  hus  waited  longer  than  you  have!"  replied 
Stanton  a  little  sternly.  lUr\ey  stared  and  seemed 
about  to  answer,  but  finally  went  away  without 
speaking 

Next  morning  the  Lenox  Times  had  a  full  story  of 
Sheriff  Johns  and  his  attempted  capture  of  the  real 
criminal.  There  was  no  doubt  that  the  mob  had  mur- 
dered an  innocent  man.  The  Tima  called  for  action 
on  the  part  of  Paley,  the  County  Attorney,  and  vig- 
orously declared  that  the  town  and  county  were  dis- 
graced unless  something  was  done.  It  spoke  in  high 
praise  of  Dr.  Stanton's  conduct,  and  urged  its  readers 
to  denounce  mob  rule  and  stand  together  for  law  and 
order. 

The  following  Sunday  several  pulpits  in  Lenox 
spoke  out  plainlv,  and  called  on  the  courts  and  author- 
ities to  take  aeon  against  the  mob.  Stanton  himself, 
by  invitation  from  one  of  the  ministers,  preached 
that  Sunday  on  the  all-absorbing  topic.  Never  had 
he  been  so  effective.  A  vast  audience  crowded  the 
church. 

It  was  deeply  moved  by  his  eloquent  appeal  for  a 
social  righteousness.  Apparently  his  words  carried 
deep  conviction.  Hundreds  stayed  after  the  service 
to  thank  him  for  his  message,  and  assure  him  of  their 
hearty  belief  in  the  truth  of  what  lie  said. 

Yet  it  is  simply  matter  of  plain  history  of  this  caae 
in  Lenox,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1903,  and  in 


i  •^■<r«S"">c-  aiB>o»'"w«™a8'  Jk-c .•  'a'  ""v 


ci 


THE    FRIITS   OF   THE    SYSTEM    111 

so-cftlled  Christian  America,  nothing  was  ever  done 
really  to  bring  the  murderers  of  Bill  Warren,  the 
negro,  to  trial.    The  County  Attorney  went  through 
the  form  of  arresting  a  fvw  people,  but  the  cases  were 
finally  dismissed  for  lack  of  evidcr      ;  and  even  in  the 
face  of  an  indignation  meeting  called  by  Stanton  and 
a  fe\    public-spirited  men,  the  fiircc  of  justice  wa» 
fully  played  out  by  the  County  Attorney,  and  not  one 
man  of  the  hundreds  guilty  of  that  awful  crime  was 
ever  punished  by  the  laws  of  man.     This  is  a  matter 
of  history  which  is  not  denied.    And  the  place  of  it  is 
not  Turkey  or  Macedonia,  with  its  heathen  and  un- 
christian atrocites,  but  Christian  America,  with  its 
churches,  schools,  colleges,  ni.d  culture,  inheriting  its 
wealth  of  Pilgrim  and  Puritan  conviction.    Is  it  true, 
think   you,   young   and   thoughiful   citizens   of   the 
United  States,  that  the  age  of  deep  convictions  has 
gone,  ana  that  we  are  living  in  an  age  of  selfish  greed 
and  political  graft,  so  intense  that  one  man  like  this 
County  Attorney  of  Lenox  county,  a  man  devoid  of 
patriotic  sense  and  of  reverence  for  law,  drawing  his 
pay  as  the  main  thing  in  his  office,  practically  stands 
a  thing  of  colossal  insult  to  the  State  to  thwart  the 
majesty   of  justice,   and  with   cowardly   wickedness 
pour  contempt  and  shame  on  the  principles  for  which 
the    framers    of  the  Declaration    of    Independence 
pledged  their  lives  their  fortunes,  and  their  sacred 
honor.'' 

Whatever  you  may  think  about  it,  the  facts  remain 
grim  and  unchanged.     Let  every  lover  of  his  country. 


'i 


:    1 


118   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

ftnd  cv.  ry  liolitviT  in  the  \nw  am]  Its  tnforromcnt, 
r.oto  tlio  fncts  on  his  knors,  holding  up  his  hands 
before  God  in  prayer,  that  a  new  generation  may  arise 
with  a  righteous  zeal  for  a  Christian  Republic  In 
reality  as  well  as  in  name. 

How  much  this  event  contributed  to  deepen  Stan- 
ton's co'^victions  in  the  line  of  his  belief  in  social  rev- 
olution, it  would  be  difficult  to  say.  Undoubtallv  it 
intensified  his  feelings  and  added  to  his  passionate 
''.sire  for  a  new  patriotism.  This  found  expression 
ir  his  next  public  address  in  Chicago.  He  was  called 
there  by  the  Municipal  League,  and  the  Auditorium 
was  packed  to  hear  him.  It  was  a  representative  audi- 
ence, composed  of  Labor,  Capital,  professional  and 
business  men,  all  interested  in  his  theme,  most  of  them 
drawn  by  curiosity  to  see  the  author  of  The  Christian 
Socialist;  some  hostile  to  him,  others  indifferent,  but 
all,  for  the  time  being,  more  or  less  roused  by  the 
ocfusion. 


TO  BE  SKIPPED  BY  THE  THOUGHTLESS  READER 

STANTON  began  by  stating  the  subject  of  the 
evening's  address : 
"  I  have  been  asked,"  he  said,  "  to  outline  the 
programme  of  Christian  Socialism.  It  is  useless  for 
me  to  make  even  a  beginning  toward  what  I  want  to 
say  unless  the  first  principles  on  which  a  proposed 
social  order  rest  are  plainly  understood. 

"I  wish  it  to  be  distinctly  understood,  thrrcforc, 
that  I  do  not  attempt  to  bring  into  this  discussion 
any  other  economic  theories  than  those  which  have 
been  so  plainly  stated  in  the  Bible,  and  especially  in 
the  New  Testament.  A  good  many  people  are 
frightened  at  the  sound  of  the  very  word  Socialism, 
But  I  wish  to  announce  in  this  talk  to-night  th  '„ 
according  to  my  view,  and  that  of  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  far  better  Christians  than  myself,  the  terra 
Christiari  Socialism  is  nothing  but  a  term  which 
means  that  if  the  plain  teachings  of  the  Son  of  God 
were  obeyed  in  human  society,  the  world  would  begin 
to  enjoy  a  peace,  a  strength,  a  prosperity,  a  brother- 
hood, such  as  it  does  not  now  know.  If  this  is  true, 
as  I  firmly  believe  it  is,  then  the  statements  I  am 
about  to  make  are  simply  and  forever  based  on  the 
teachings  of  Jesus,  and  are  not  any  new  or  striking 

113 


i    '' 


il- 


•3    it 


mm 


8!   i^' 


114      THE   HEART  OF   THE  WORLD 

or  original  contribution  to  the  Social  Problem,  only 
the  direct  application  of  divine  laws  to  human  needs, 
as  old  as  creation,  but  made  clear  and  specific  bj  Him 
who  came  on  purpose  to  give  men  life  abundantly. 

"The  programme  of  Christian  Socialism,  there- 
fore, may  be  stated  under  the  following  heads : 

"  1.  Before  anything  like  a  Christian  Social  order 
among  men  is  possible,  men  must  be  Christian. 

"It  is  not  enough  that  they  be  merely  good  men, 
that  is,  men  who  are  moral  or  who  never  commit 
crime.  They  must  be  men  who  are  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  Christ,  intelligent,  well-poised,  self-sacrific- 
ing, loving  their  enemies,  ready  to  forgive  wrongs, 
strong  to  endure,  patient,  calm,  making  it  the  busi- 
ness of  their  lives  to  seek  first  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
There  is  no  real  hope  of  establishing  the  Christian 
Social  order  with  any  other  human  material. 

"2.  If  this  proposition  is  true,  it  foUows    that 
making  laws  or  trying  to  establish  legislative  rules  to 
govern  society   will  not,  in  itself,  be  enough  to  bring 
about  an  ideal  social  order  among  men.     Men  them- 
selves need  first  of  all  to  be  right  before  they  will 
live  right.     This  does  not  ignore  the  fact  that  sur- 
roundings or  environment  may  have  their  influence  in 
shaping  men's  moral  or  religious  conditions.     But 
merely  to  attempt  to  improve  men's  physical  condi- 
tions and  ignore  their  spiritual  needs,  as  if  all  had 
been  done  when  the  body  has  been  well-clothed,  fed, 
and  housed,  is  to  ignore  the  fact  that  men  in  all  the 
centuries  who  have  had  the  best  environment,  but 


HHHHMHi 


TO  BE  SKIPPED  BY  THOUGHTLESS     116 

whose  hearts  have  been  sinful,  are  among  tlie  most 
unhappy  and  sinful  men  in  the  world's  history.  Hav- 
ing money,  living  in  a  big  house,  eating  rich  food, 
being  educated,  all  this  does  not  mean  happiness  or 
power.  If  what  the  world  of  labor  is  after  to-day  is 
more  money,  more  food,  better  houses,  more  things, 
as  if  these  things  would  bring  happiness,  then  it  will 
miss  the  mark,  and  even  if  by  a  legislative  revolution 
it  should  gain  all  these  things  but  still  remain 
unchanged  in  the  heart,  the  world  will  be  not  better 
off  than  it  is  now.  In  fact,  if  all  the  people  who  are 
now  living  in  tenements,  all  the  people  who  are  work- 
ing at  hard  labor,  all  the  people  who  are  poor  and  in 
debt  and  worn  out  with  the  struggle  for  existence, 
should  be  able  to  exchange  their  condition  with  the 
rich,  go  into  their  houses,  have  their  money  to  spend, 
and  be  released  from  the  conditions  which  they  now 
regard  as  bitter,  the  world  would  not  be  any  better 
off,  unless  the  people  who  benefited  by  the  physical 
change  were  also  changed  at  heart.  The  good  house, 
the  fine  clot  es,  the  money,  the  surroundings,  would 
not  in  themselves  necessarily  make  any  of  these  people 
any  happier,  any  more  useful,  or  more  of  value  to 
society.  It  would  be  bread,  but  it  would  be  bread 
alone.  And  '  man  shall  not  live  b3'  bread  alone.'  Out 
of  the  heart  proceed  all  the  evil  things  of  the  world. 
The  rich  are  as  miserable  as  the  poor  if  their  hearts 
are  not  right  with  God.  Christian  Socialism  simply 
repeats  the  command  of  Jesus,  '  Seek  ye  first  the 
Kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  and  all  these 


^1 


116      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

be'^fr;""'  "•  ""'  P*"^''*^"'  "•ings  ,„u  need-shall 
be  added  u.-  ,  ;,„„.■  The  Soeialism  whieh  say,  -seek 
first  better  wages,  seek  first  ™re  money,  seek  te 
how  to  get  the  better  of  your  enemies,  seok'first  rad  . 
un,on,sm,  seek  first  how  to  down  Capitalism  or  how  to 
enact  laws  against  human  selfishness,'  this  Social! 
no  matter  what  else  it  may  be,  is  not  Christia!     T  el' 

Ki:X°"ofG<^/°^""'^''''^"-"'"^-'-^= 
"3.  This  does  not  mean  that  Christian  Socialism 
has  no  defimte  aim  or  pc.pose  in  the  matter  of  chan; 
2  unjust  or  unhappy  physical  conditions  of  soc  ety 
^y  man  who  really  is  seeking  first  God's  Kingdom'; 
Will  do  all  m  his  power  to  make  the  physical  life 
as  comfortable  and  happy  as  he  can      R^  If 

rhrUf.'a^        1       .  •     «       "^  •     -oecause  the 

Chnst  an  makes  h,s  first  object  in  life  the  building 
up  „    the  Kmgdom  of  God,  is  the  best  possible  rea  o! 
»l  y  he  ,s  the  one  kind  of  a  man  in  the  whole  world  to 
help  successfully  to  establish  a  just  and  hapj  ^il 
cond,t,on     Christian  Socialism,  therefore,  MeveTrn 
the  followmg  practical  measures : 

"4-  Christian    Socialism   believes   in   the   common 
ownersh^  or  control  of  al,  the  world's  grearner 

transportation,   local   and  general-   oil    ^„,l     f    j 
-ecr,  light,  telegraph,  telopl.one  '.p"  L I'd  pll.' 
co„ven,enees.     Such  common  necessitL  as  ice.  Zla 
n    k    medicne,  etc.,  could  easily  be  furnished  '?>« 

:r:^:h^:i:src:istfT' '"■'---' 

«"y  i-niistian.     I  was  present  in 


%,^\ 


TO  BE  SKIPPED  BY  THOUGHTLESS     117 

the  London  Common  Council  one  day,  wlien  Lord  Car- 
rington  rose  and  made  a  statement  concerning  the  cost 
of  gas  to  the  poor  of  London,  as  furnished  by  the 
London  Gas  and  Coke  Company,  an  absolutely  monop- 
olistic concern.     The  company  charged  the  poor  of 
London  nine  pence  more  per  thousand  feet  of  gas 
than  they  charged  him,  Lord  Carrington.     Talking 
with   Lord   Carrington   afterwards,   he   declared   his 
abhorrence  of  any  such  injustice  and  prophesied  a 
final  socializing  of  such  a  common  necessity  as  light 
for     »e  people.     The  difference  in  price  was  on  ac- 
count of  the  difference  in  quantity  of  gas  consu.iied. 
Yet,  certainly,  if  any  one  needed  to  have  the  balance 
on  his  side  it  was  the  poor  man,  not  the  peer.     In  a 
Christian  social  order  a  man's  need  of  a  common  neces- 
sity would  be  a  large  factor  to  consider  in  the  matter 
of  price  charged  him  for  it.     In  the  existing  order, 
the  man's  need  is  not  taken  into  the  account,  only  his 
ability  to  order  a  large  quantity  and  pay  for  it. 

"In  general.  Christian  Socialism  would  socia::",-  all 
common  needs,  on  the  principle  that  it  is  universally 
good  social  economy  to  do  so.  We  have  already 
socialized  the  post-office,  the  public  schools,  the  fire 
department,  the  ligl;ting  and  heating  of  town  and 
cities,  the  common  roads,  the  public  buildings,  the 
public  parks,  and  many  other  forms  of  public  need. 
We  are  all  Socialists  in  the  matter  of  the  post-office, 
even  if  it  does  not  pay  expenses;  even  if  there  are 
frauds  and  irregularities  and  dishonesty  connected 
with  its  management.     The  people  wiU  see  to  the 


i 


fi 


u 


I 


"8      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

righting  of  those  abuses,  as  it  i.  ho"         i 

«-ho  would  ever  wish  to  nl         n         ^'^  '^°"''     ^"^ 

hands  of  a  pr  vare  tr.    t  f  V"  ^'''''^''  '"  *J- 

cSw  ?^  ?f  ^'T  ""''^^  ^^'*-  ^^^^^^^  "^- 

-ry  or  just  than  thel  phv  '  al  a'nd         T"'  """■ 
•"ent    in    other   directio^    2  T  "'  "°"''"^^- 

unscrupulous  landior^l  ^  ^hlnTT   T' 
tenements,  the  people  who  have  to  f  .  ^""^ 

will  suffer  an  in^„.H         ,  .^      ^  ^'''^  ^"  ^^^^ments 

made  subt     ,0  Tnrf' "7        """■•"■'  ^''°"'''  "»'  ^' 
suoject  to  individual   m-eed      TJia   ,.•  w 

property  are  not  greater  thfn  the  rTi Its  of 
Thej  are  second,  not  first.  ^  ™^"- 

"5    It  follows  as  a  natural  order  of  hpl.Vf    ,u  . 
Christian  Socialism  does  not  believe  in  tl 

acquisition  of  large  personal  f  P'''°""^ 

<•>        .  o    pi^rsonal  fortunes.     Thw  a.jj 

irom  two  reasons       Jf  +i  loJlows 

-orld  were  orid    ,    "  «™'  "^^'^'''^^  "'  «- 
people,  it  „.„„M  b:';    ^b r"™"  P^P-*^  -^  the 

n'nUons  or  „„„e,  /orE       /"L^T  r;,'  '°  ^■'-- 
men  who  live  undnr  tl,.  "  ^"'^  ^^^^  of 

-eae,.jdit;:!:;rrd:,;:ir:i"" 

to  use  the  money  for  e-onr?  ..  •     .  ^  "^'"'"S 


TO  BE  SKIPPED  BY  THOUGHTLESS     119 

the  general  good  in  such  a  way  as  to  add  to  the 
general  .welfare    of    the    world,    as    if    the    same 
amount  of  wealth  were  distributed  through  the  lives 
of  the  thousands  of  people  who  have  toiled  with  either 
hand  or  brain  to  make  that  wealth.     In  the  second 
place,  the  individual  millionaire  is  not  so  happy  or 
so  useful  a  man  as  the  one  who  has  simply  enough  for 
the  necessary  development  of  his  life.     The  happiest 
people  in  the  world  are  neither  the  very  poor  nor  the 
very  rich.     Too  great  poverty  means  misery.     Too 
great  wealth  means  the  same.     As  a  general  thing, 
the  unhappiest  and  most  discontented  people  all  over 
the  world,  are  the  people  at  the  extremes  of  society. 
The  golden  means  of  happiness  does  not  depend  on 
gold  for  its  cause.     It  is  a  naturally  eternal  result 
of  causes  which  are  always  the  same  and  always  will 
be.     To  restrict  a  man's  personal  wealth,  create  an 
order  of  society  making  it  impossible  for  a  man  ever 
to  become  a  millionaire,  would  be  no  injustice ;  it  would 
be  the  beginning  of  happiness  to  countless  men  who 
now  heap  up  riches,  and,  after  getting  them,  have  no 
pleasure  in  them.     It  is  eternally  true,  as  Jesus  said, 
'  A  man's  life  does  not  consist  in  the  abundance  of  the 
things  that  he  possesses.'     It  is  also  his  teaching  that 
man  should  not  lay  up  for  himself  treasures  on  the 
earth.     Some  Christians  believe  this  command  applied 
only  to  the  Christians  in  Jesus'  own  lifetime,  and  was 
not  intended  for  a  rule  of  life  for  all  time.     I  wish  +o 
say  that  I  myself  differ   ''•om  this  view,  and  believe 
Jesus  meant  the  command  to  extend  in  comprehensive 


;il 


1«0      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

nianner  over  hII  fl.o  ^^  l     • 

greater  power   devL        ?      T"'   """'''   ■•«""  « 

-.ua>u..r' ;'t,?;::r'' """ "''"""  -  -^ 
caned.  dr.p^„;?:r~;-''--^= 

-ade  to  tl,e  Brit.r.a  "'""■"""«  P™P°*°-  -' 

the  Brmi  aI:.^;:.  r'^:';^r«"''«'<'7befor» 

caled  the  grant  bv  tl,e  „  '  '''''^''  ■•'  «*"- 

a»-     That  i  Turr.  ■""'■°"  '■"  ««»'  Brit- 

the  British  navf  '""°""'  '''™'  '"'*  ^'"  °" 

col?„:i^;::;t  ad?'"*"'  *■"  °^'°''-  ^.  '903. 

W,er),!;itrr:t;S-^^.;f  (SirN„r«a„ 
all  in  buildings  and      J  '    "''  P"'  '*  ""■='  for 

po™.ne„.,''x;t: ,:""«::!  :f"  ■'  r-" "« 

PHation  for  the  production  of  brains  Vnd*  T"' 
'lave  to  be  repeated  Batfi.  ..'"'■  ""1  "ouU  not 
.cars  and  go  to  thitrap  h^rp  ^uir  '""  T  "  ''^ 

-ee„thee.,end.tetf-;,r;;:^teeT:: 


US 

s- 

1. 

n 
n 

Y 


TO  BE  SKIPPED  BY  THOUGHTLESS     121 

pr,»IucHon  of  trained  b-ains,  and  that  of  tl.o  same 
amo.int  every  year  for  the  l)uilding  of  battlesl.ins 
Winch  is  the  most  profitable  investment  of  a  nation's 
surplus   wealth?     And  what  is  a  battleship,  which 
costs  as  much  to  build  as  it  does  to  endow  a  univer- 
sity?    It    is   a   temporary,    fragile    thing,   made    to 
sniHsh  and  be  smashed,  soon  out  of  style,  and  thrown 
aside,  when,  after  a  few  years,  worn  out.     It  is  the 
expression  of  the  destructive,  the  cursed  side  of  na- 
tional character  and  life,  that  which  makes  for  loss 
and  rum,  or  at  least,  for  defense  against   wanton 
attack.    It  may  be  necessary  to  build  war  vessels,  we 
do  not  deny,  but  Sir  Norman  Lockyer  is  right  in  say- 
ing that  brains  are  a  better  defense  than  battleships, 
and  better  worth  building.'    Amen !  says  the  lover  of 
his  country  who  believes  in  the  teachings  of  Christ. 
That  teaching  is  all  towards  the  reign  of  peace  among 
men.    But  if  it  is  true  that  we  have  not  yet  reached 
the  place  in  our  Christian  civilization  where  battle 
ships    and    navies    can    be    dispensed    with,    let    ut 
at    least    be    true    enough    to    our    faith    to    insist 
upon    it,    that     if   the    United    States    spends    mil- 
lions  every   ^  :ar   in    building   machines    to   kill,    W 
should    also    appropriate    as    many    more    million* 
to  preserve  life,   and  educate  men  and  women   into 
good  Christian  citizens.     The  State  already  appro- 
priates public  money  in  vast  sums  to  maintain  jails, 
penitentiaries,    asylums,    hospitals,    and    poorhouses. 
The  same  amount   of  money   spent   on   establishing 
kindergartens,  universities,  training  schools,  and  in 


'.    ! 

•J 


H 


-yy^i 


I  i 


1««      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

ine  cost  of  these  other  institutions  hv  fl.af  .  ^ 
prevention  which  i.  .„  i„„„„bir^^,  ,'  "^^^  »' 
force   of   America.   w!fh    -ll    .l  teaching 

incrcMein  wealth    ,!.         u        "'"""••^''   "''8'"3' 

than  it  waT  Jl'\    «     "^  '^""  ?*'''  '■"•  "»  -""-k 
■»n  u  was  twctj-fivc  ycurs  airo.     With   .11 

bragging  prosperity  there  is  one^L  rf  1 
America  that  has  not  benefitoZlt  '    ,     T  f  '" 
especially  teachers  and  mini  te„      1 1-  ""'  ''''''• 

'-  been  in  the  same  pujt loT  Iwe  ty  Z'"  "h:"" 

""".bered  two  hund^d'    H  M^ta  ■';/J;r 
J-ear      The  church  now  numbers  o7er"     to"^  h" 
In  the  twenty  years'  time  of  a  faithful     elf  "     ^ 
^«  mini^try   U„  ,,„„,  ^^  .J^^r^'lZX 

ia;^em^n^^:^tXurVhi:i:  Td  ""'^^ 

fact  that  fh.  A.       u   J  '  '^  "°*  '^"^  *o  the 

act  that  the  church  does  not  appreciate  the  man 
But  hjs  men^bership  is  made  up  almost  entirl  Irl 
the  salaned  class,  and  while  almost  every  otir 

>ca,  who  are  not  the  monev-seekin.;  neoDle   \T 
among  the  solid,  useful  .e„a„ts  of^sSt   whi  "" 
not  paid  fair  wages  for  the  service  reXI'  "' 


ce 
of 

g 

■y 
k 

T 

n 

|> 
J 

i 


I  TO  BE  SKIPPED  BY  THOUGHTLESS     123 

"This  is  us  true  of  tcjicliors  us  of  Miinistcrs.  I 
know  a  high-school  principal  who,  ton  yours  ago,  was 
paid  $1600  a  year.  He  has  grown  in  his  important 
position.  He  is  ten  times  more  capable  as  a  public 
servant  now  than  he  was  ton  years  ago.  Yet  he  gets 
no  more  pay,  and  during  a  period  of  ten  years'  uncom- 
plaining service  he  has  twice  been  asked  if  he  could 
not  work  for  less. 

"  The  new  patriotism  would  place  brains  before  bat- 
tleships, and  brains  before  commercial   supremacy. 
It  would  magnify  the  sor^icc  of  its  public  servants  in 
the   ministry,   and   give   a   living  wage   sufficient   to 
ensure  against   anxiety   or   future   wr.nt.     It   is,   of 
course,  true,  and  always  will  be,  that  neither  the  min- 
ister nor  the  teacher  are  in  their  professions  to  make 
money.     They  practically  say  to  the  world  when  they 
enter   their    professions,   we   are   not   money-seekers. 
Wo  labor  for  the  love  of  the  service.     But  under  the 
present  social  order,  it  is  not  fair  to  ask  a  minister 
to  do  his  work  without  sufficient  tools,  or  a  teacher 
to  do  his  on  such  insufficient  margin  that  nis  service 
is    marred   by    anxiety.     Christian    Socialism    would 
rank  the  teacher  above  the  warrior,  who  is  cared  for 
in  his  old  age  by  the  government.     Who  does   the 
more  lasting  service.?     At  any  rate,  if  the  government 
pensions  those  who  risked  their  lives  in  the  physical 
war,  it  ought  to  provide  liberally  for  the  efficiency  of 
its  force  of  teachers  who  are  helping  to  preserve  *'  e 
Republic  intact  by  their  loyal,  intelligent,  self-sacri- 
ficmg  education  of  the  boys  and  girls  who  are  soon 


I  ii 


I 


I 


h 


1224 


THE  HE.yiT  OF  THE  WORLD 


to  be  t!,e  statesmen  and  builders  of  the  land.  It 
would  muply  be  an  act  of  wise  conunercial  economy 
for  the  State  to  increase  the  salaries  of  its  teachers, 
and  d.gn,fy  their  value  in  every  possible  way  to  the 
otate.  *' 

"The  new  patriotism  would  also,  under  Christian 
Socahsm,  declare  its  protest  against  many  false 
fonns  of  patriotic  expression,  notably,  the  celebration 
of^our  great  national  festivities  or  commemorative 

"The  Fourth  of  July  celebration  has  become  a  dis- 
t.not  absurdity,  without  any  serious  educating  pur- 
pose; a  day  given  oyer  to  senseless  noise,  dissipation, 
athletic  and  theatrical  performances  for  so  much 
apiece,  and  a  vast  and  unnecessary  expenditure  of 
money,  that  ought  to  be  used  to  relieve  distress  or 
establish  some  permanent  monument  to  the  civic  pride 
and  virtue  of  the  people." 

Thus  far  in  his  address.  Stanton  had  been  listened 
to  with  the  closest  attention.     The  beautiful  hall  had 
been  the  scene  of  many  wonderful  gatherings  and 
many  remarkable  utterances,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  any 
subject  discussed  there  had  provoked  such  intense 
-  ores    as  this.     But  Stanton  had  just  finished  his 
calm  statement  about  the  Fourth  of  July,  when  a 
finely-dressed  man,  sitting  three  rows  from  the  edge 
of  t^e  platform,  rose  to  his  feet,  turned  about,  aTd 
faced  the  audience. 

His  voice  rang  out  plainly  so  that  the  farthest  lis- 
tener standmg  m  the  upper  gaUery  heard  the  words: 


TO  BE  SKIPPED  BY  THOUGHTLESS     1«5 

"  I  protest  against  this  address.  It  is  full  of  dan- 
gerous teaching.     It  ought  not  to  continue." 

The  audience  leaned  like  one  man  toward  the  man 
who  made  this  interruption.  And  for  a  moment  a 
breathless  stillness  pervaded  the  house.  In  that 
silence  Stanton,  unmoved,  almost  coldly  indifferent 
outwardly,  remained  facing  the  people,  then  he  slowly 
stepped  back  and  sat  down  by  the  chairman,  who  the 
same  instant  rose  to  his  feet  and  went  forward. 


ni 


Wn 


I  If 


XI 

THE    PROGRAMME   OF   SOCIALISM 

THE  momentary  silence  following  the  statement 
made  by  the  man  in  Mie  audience  was  suddenly 
broken  by  voices  that  roc'e  from  every  part  of 
the  Auditorium.  There  were  cheers  and  hisses. 
Groups  of  men  arose  in  different  places  and  shouted. 
The  man  who  had  interj  .pted  sprang  up  on  a  seat, 
and  again  his  clear,  reasonant  voice  could  be  heard 
above  the  confusion. 

"  Hear  me !     Let  me  have  a  word !  '* 
The  noise  died  down.     People  seated  themselves. 
The  man  stood  on  the  seat  waiting  for  silence.     The 
chairman  of  the  meeting,  who  had  not  yet  s^ok<.-i 
stood  attentively  gazing  at  the  man  on  the  seat. 

"  I  repeat,  I  protest  against  this  address,  and  I  have 
risen  in  my  place  to  make  my  protest  as  public  as  pos- 
sible. I  do  not  believe  in  this  doctrine,  and  I  do  not 
believe  that  the  American  people  ought  to  listen- 
He  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  hisses  and  ap- 
plause. Men  rose  in  groups  and  shouted  out  various 
things.  There  were  cries  for  "Stanton!  Stanton!" 
He  sat  impas,sive  and  refused  to  rise.  The  chairman 
suddenly  leaned  over  the  edge  of  the  platform  and 
spoke  to  the  man  standing  on  the  seat.  The  reporters 
used  their  pencils  rapidly. 

196 


»» 


THE  PROGIIAMME  OF  SOCIALISM     127 


The  audit 


ilmost 


the 


instanlJy,  subsided  again 
order  to  hear  what  the  chairman  was  saying  to 
stranger. 

"  Are  you  a  meir.ber  of  the  League,  sir?  "  the  chair- 
man was  saying,  in  a  calm,  dispassionate  tone. 

"  No,  sir,  I  am  not.  But  I  feci  as  if  u  protest  ought 
to  be  made  against  such  teaching,  and  I  make  mine, 
here  and  now.  I  am  not  the  only  one  who  feels  this 
way.  If  I  mistake  not,  there  are  hundreds  here  to- 
night who  share  my  feelings." 

He  was  interrupted  again  by  hisses  and  applause. 
The  chairman  waited  again  to  be  heard. 

"  Sir,  you  have  made  your  protest  and  have  been 
heard.  But  I  am  the  chairman  of  this  meeting,  and  I 
protest  against  your  interruption.  Dr.  Stanton  was 
invited  here  by  the  Chicago  Municipal  League  to  speak 
on  Christian  Socialism.  He  has  been  giving  his  views, 
as  he  was  .skod  to  do.  He  is  enHtled  to  a  respectful 
hearing.  I  call  on  this  audience  to  give  it  to  him.  If 
you  have  any  questions  to  ask,  I  have  no  doubt  Dr. 
Stanton  will  be  glad  to  answer  them  in  the  conference 
which  has  been  advertised  to  follow  this  meeting." 

"  I  have  no  questions  to  ask  him,"  replied  the  gen- 
tleman, "  but  I  do  have  this  to  say  to  him.  Dr.  Stan- 
ton, I  believe  you  are  all  wrong  in  what  you  have  said. 
I  don't  doubt  your  sincerity ;  but  that  makes  what  you 
say  all  the  more  dangerous.  I  don't  care  to  sit  here 
and  listen  to  any  more.  Here  is  my  card,  sir,  if  you 
care  to  call  and  talk  it  over  with  me." 

He  gave  his  card  to  an  usher,  who  handed  it  up  to 


f  ' 


i 


1  f: 


128   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

the  chairman,  who  gave  it  to  Stanton.  Immediately 
the  man  walked  out  in  the  aisle  and  started  to  go  up 
towards  the  lobby.  Groups  of  men  around  him  rose 
and  went  out  at  the  same  time.  The  papers  next 
morning  said  that  three  or  four  hundred  retired  The 
chairman,  a  shrewd,  cool-headed  young  man,  made  a 
careful  estimate  of  the  number,  and  counted  two  hun- 
dred  and  eighty-nine. 

As  these  scattering  groups  were  going  out,  some  one 
up  in  the  highest  gallery  started  "America."     The 
tune  was  caught  up  by  the  audience,  and  the  volume 
of  Its  music  rolled  up  like  a  thunder  rumbling.    People 
who  had  been  standing  up  bcgai  to  take  the  seats  of 
those  who  had  gone  out.     When  the  singing  ceased, 
some  one  shouted,  "  Recess  is  over.  Stanton  !  Stanton  •" 
Everybody  laughed,  and  Stanton  rose  again,  know- 
ing that  the  majority  of  the  audience  was  now  with 
him.     He  had  not  been  disturbed  by  the  unexpected 
interruption.     And  without  referring  to  it,  he  now 
went  on  as  if  nothing  had  happened.     The  crowd 
enjoyed  his  calm,  unruffled  dignity,  the  absence  of  any 
resentment,   the   apparent  calmness   of  his   position 
which  refused  to  be  angered,  excited,  or  ruffled  by 
criticism, 

"As  I  was  saying.  Christian  Socialism  stands  for  a 
new  patriotism  in  the  matter  of  a  better,  more  seuM- 
ble  observance  of  our  great  national  celebrations.  It 
would  not  be  possible,  I  suppose,  to  estimate  the 
amount  of  money  spent  every  Fourth  of  July  in  gun- 
powder in  making  a  noise,  in  dissipations  which  have 


,f*^dlii-' 


THE  PROGRAMME  OF  SOCIALISM     129 

no  connection  whatever  with  the  day  or  its  meaning. 
I  would  hke  to  propos.  .„  tlv^  people  of  this  country, 
that  next  Fourth  of  .uiy,  in.tca.  of  buying  powder 
and  bummg  firewor  s    o  cclehr.e  the  day,  we  take 
that  same  amount  of  ....,y,  .,  .d  m  each  town,  village, 
city,  or  rural  community,  place  some  institution  or 
object  that  will  be  a  lasting  memorial  to  good  citizen- 
ship.   In  one  city  of  40,000  people  last  Fourth,  just 
after  a  great  and  unprecedented  flood  had  apparently 
drained  the  resources  of  the  i^eople  in  caring  for  thos'e 
who  had  lost  everything,  ov.  r  $10,000  were  expended 
on  fireworks,  which  gave  a  momentary  pleasure  to 
those  who  saw  them,  but  which  relieved  no  actual 
human  distress,  and  ministered  to  no  actual  human 
need.    That  $10,000  put  into  a  statue  of  Lincoln  ;  put 
into  pictures  for  the  public  schools;  put  into  a  per- 
manent memorial  building  dedicated  to  the  uses  of 
good  citizenship,  would  be  a  thousand  times   more 
sensible  and  patriotic   than  the  use  actually   made 
of  it. 

"I  appeal  to  the  patriotism  of  this  country  to 
spend  at  least  one  Fourth  of  July  in  the  way  I  have 
suggested.     Have  we  not  had  racket  and  noise  enough 
all  these  years?     Will  it  hurt  our  boys  to  have  them 
give  their  fireworks'  money  one  year,  at  least,  if  they 
never  do  it  again,  to  buy  something  that  will  last, 
something  that  they  can  be  proud  of  as  they  look  at 
It  m  their  town  that  they  helped  to  build?     Are  our 
children  so  destitute  of  any  real  love  of  country  that 
we  can  teach  them,  as  many  of  us  do,  to  give  their 


i 

i 

I 

f 
i 


■  I 


HS 


180      THE   HEART   OF   THE  WORLD 

pennies  to  the  Church  and  Sunday  School  and  for 
missions,  but  cannot  expect  them  to  do  anything,  as 
children,  for  the  real  things  represented  by  the  Flag? 
Or  are  the  parents  of  America  afraid  to  ask  the;- 
boys  to  enter  into  this  kind  o.'  a  celebration  oi 
the  Fourth,  as  if  they  could  not  be  taught  real 
patriotism? 

"I  know  of  some  sturdy  Christian  families  that 
have  already  begun  to  revolt  at  the  barbarous  travesty 
on  patriotism  that  our  present  Fourth  of  July  stands 
for,  and  who  have  begun  to  teach  their  children  the 
higher   .  d  better  uses   of  the  day.     The  children 
respond  lo  that  teaching,  also,  as  children  always  will 
when  the  right  motive  is  used.     Christian  fathers  and 
mothers  can  expect  to  do  great  service  to  the  country 
of  the  future.     In  any  case,  whether  you  believe  with 
me  or  not  on  this  point— an  J  I  do  not  expect  the  man- 
ufacturers of  gunpowder  or  fireworks   to   rise  and 
applaud— in  any  case  it  would  not  hurt  this  Repubhc, 
next  Independence  Day,  to  spend  its  money  for  some 
lasting,  patriotic  memorial,  built  by  the  school  chil- 
dren of  America,  in  the  name  of  those  great  ideals 
which  made  our  independence  a  historical  fact  in  the 
eyes  of  the  nations  of  the  world. 

"7.  Christian  Socialism  also  embodies  in  its  prac- 
tical programme  a  belief  in  the  necessity  for  doing 
everything  that  can  be  done  to  annihilate  the  liquor 
business  in  all  its  forms. 

"Very  few  Socialists  advocate  any  restriction  of 
the  liquor  business.     Most  of  them  say  if  Socialism 


THE  I  ROGRAMME  OF  SOCIALISM     1), 

saloon  and  all  it  ?!  ''^'°"  °^  ^'^"**^'  *^^*  *^« 

not  restrict  or  rnr.fi      ;     ^"'^"^'•*"  Socahsm  would 

Js  a  Dart  of  +>,o  ««  institution, 

«  part  01  the  proerramme  of  Christffln  <5«  •  r 
It  IS  conceded  tha  drink  h.        '' ,V^"  Socialism, 

but  it  is  asserted  "'"''T  '^'^  ^''  P°°^ 

poor  because    theV  drinri  ""^'^V^''^^  "'^^  "^ 
-human    niiW,-.LvH tn/sll    l*;    r^^^ 
attempts  to  remove-are  a  In' 7       .  f    ^°''"^'^"' 
roundin^s      Tho  .  i         u  '  ^^"^Pt^tions  and  sur- 

of  trial      r-         :''^°"  ^'^^  J^«d  tliousands  of  years 

<iost  "ei  a  :rimet".'""'^  ^^  ^^"'^^  ^  «  ^o- 

-nd^:d^::;;:^t^^e-:^^^ 

citizens.     It  has  n«f  1       Prostitutes,  and  evil 

It  nas  not  one  redeem  n^  qualitv      F..« 
^ts  apparent  charities  are  traps  of  the  dev^    to  ,  " 

victims  and  despoil  them  of 'their    avt'     T^    ' 
raoval  of  the  saloon  under  anv  svs^r    1'*  ''" 

underanvkindof  «n.,  7     J    -^    ^     ""  °*  economics, 
anj  kmd  of  social  order,  even  the  present  .ocial 


I', 


M] 


::f, 


;H"I 


il ; 

■ 

'1^ 

I 

■ 

"^^T-f  Wtjtw,  ili'a 


182   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


**.-^' 


one,  would  result  in  untold  blessing  to  every  man, 
woman  and  child.  Christian  Socialism  regards  the 
liquor  business  as  a  sin  and  crime  combined. 

"  It  is  a  sin  against  God  to  live  by  selling  an  article 
that  robs  men  of  health,  reason,  morals  and  money. 
It  is  Ti  crime  against  the  State  to  -^ngagc  in  a  business, 
which  the  common  verdict  of  civilization  declares  to 
be  destructive  to  every  other  business,  and  the  largest 
factor  in  filling  jails,  almshouses  and  asylums.  The 
Christian  Soc;  list  cannot  ignoro  the  factor  of  the 
liquor  business  as  a  most  serious  economic  factor. 
Every  cent  of  the  round  billion  spent  every  year  in 
the  United  States  on  intoxicating  drink  is  worse  than 
thrown  away.  It  is  an  enormous  leakage  in  the 
factor  of  savings,  and  it  is  the  distinct  duty  of  every 
lover  of  humanity  '  •  use  every  effort  in  his  power  to 
remove  this  cause  of  human  misery.  Christian  Social- 
ism plainly  declares  as  one  of  its  unequivocal  beliefs, 
the  conviction  that  any  real  effort  to  benefit  the  social 
condition  of  the  world  must  count  on  the  need  of 
taking  out  of  society  an  institution  which  is  estab- 
lished to  wreck  and  ruin  every  good  thing  that  exists. 

"  8.  A  part  of  the  programme  of  Christian  Social- 
ism is  its  faith  in  the  final  louvening  of  the  Church, 
the  Sunday  School,  and  the  religious  organizations 
of  the  Christian  young  people  of  the  world.  In  other 
words.  Christian  Socialism  believes  in  the  real  work 
which  the  true  Church  of  Christ  is  doing  in  the  world, 
and  cannot  conceive  of  a  social  order  of  man  worth 
having  or  talking  about,  which  shuts  out  the  organi- 


mmBmmsmmm 


li 


THE  PROGRAMME  OF  SOCIALISM     133 

zation  of  the  Church,  tlie  regular  study  of  God's 
word,  or  the  deeply  enthusiastic  religious  activities  of 
young  life. 

"  The  whole  hope  of  a  permanent  social  order  that 
shall  bless  the  world  rests  or.  the  true  religious  liie  of 
the  race.  Not  on  bigotry,  not  on  fanaticism,  not  on 
sectarianism,  not  on  man-made  creeds,  but  on  true 
religion,  which,  Jesus  taught,  was  all  summed  up  in 
love  of  God  and  one's  neighbor.  The  Church,  with 
all  its  mistakes,  weaknesses,  sins,  failures,  has  never- 
theless contained  a  leaven  of  righteousness.  It  has 
stood  for  mighty  essentials  of  human  happiness.  It 
is  true,  I  hear  some  one  say,  you  have  left  the  Church 
yourself,  because  she  would  not  endure  this  teaching. 
No,  I  have  not,  my  brother.  I  have  only  gone  out  of 
one  local  body  because  I  believed  I  could  work  better 
than  if  I  stayed  in  that  special  place.  But  I  have 
not  lost  my  faith  in  fhe  Church  of  Christ  in  general, 
nor  given  up  my  love  to  her  as  embodying  the  real 
hope  of  society. 

"  I  am  sincerely,  profoundly  and  unalterably  con- 
vinced that  men  and  women  are  being  reared  in 
the  Church  to-day,  as  in  no  other  institution  known 
to  men,  for  the  express  ask  of  righting  human 
wrongs  and  establishing  che  Kingdom  of  God  on 
earth.  I  regard  the  Sunday  School  as  an  institution 
so  full  of  social  influence  that  no  scheme  of  Socialism 
can  ignore  it,  or  regard  it  as  having  little  significance. 
It  represents  in  the  thought  of  the  Christian  Socialist 
immense  possibilities  for  the  future.     To  sneer  at  a 


iiii" 
.111 


li, 


"mmm^m^fm 


.V'^^*' 


134      THE   HEART  OF   THE  WORLD 

Sunday  School  is  to  acknowledge  the  fact  of  a  huge 
ignorance  of  one  of  the  largest  social  factors  in  civili- 
zation. The  young  people's  religious  organizations 
are  of  such  meaning  and  possibilities  that  Christian 
Socialism  declares  it  to  be  a  part  of  its  faith  in  the 
future  to  count  on  these  young  enthusiasts  as  won- 
derful factors  in  any  order  of  the  future  that  is  worth 
working  for.  Christian  Socialism  declares  its  firm 
belief  in  the  great  fundamentals  of  the  Church.  Its 
teachings  through  the  centuries,  of  the  value  and 
necessity,  for  example,  of  a  Christian  Sabbath,  is  one 
of  the  vital  faiths  of  Christian  Socialism. 

"  Anything  which  helps  to  destroy  the  right  use  of 
the  Sabbath  is  an  enemy  of  human  progress.     The 
commercial  greed  which  uses  this  day  like  other  days, 
to  make  money,  is  a  greed  which  deserves  and  gets 
the  severe  condemnation  of  God.     There  is  an  institu- 
tion in  this  State  which  boasts  of  its  rapid  commercial 
progress.     Its  machinery  grinds  on,  day  and  night 
and  Sundays,  without  cessatioii.     The  citizens  of  that 
town  point  with  pride  at  the  wonderful  enterprise  and 
power  of  Lhe  plant.     They  like  to  tell  you  how  many 
hands  are  employed ;  how  much  money  they  spend  in 
the  town;  what  a  great  thing  it  is  for  the  State. 
Who  raises  his  voice  against  the  insatiable  greed  which 
robs  God  of  his  righteous  day  for  rest,  worship  and 
service?     No  one  but  the  few  faithful  preachers  of 
the  town,  and  many  of  the  active  business  men  call 
them  cranks  for  uttering  their  protest.     The  dese- 
cration of  the  Sabbatli  by  men  and  women  who  cannot 


THE  PROGRAMME  OF  SOCIALISM     135 


get  pleasure  enough  out  of  "di**da:TS,  hut  must  have 
seven,  means  the  unnecessary  employment  of  thou- 
sands of  other  people  in  theatres,  livcry-stahles,  rail- 
roads, in  places  of  amusement  and  dissipation.  The 
great  labor  organizations,  many  of  them,  use  the 
day,  or  a  large  part  of  it,  for  their  social  and  business 
n  ^etings.  The  Day  of  the  Lord  is  trampled  on  con- 
temptuously or  carelessly  by  the  multitude  who  come 
up  to  its  holy  opportunity  without  either  reverence  or 
( arnest  purpose.  Christian  Socialism  declares  with 
strong  emphasis  its  belief  in  the  right  use  of  one  day 
in  seven  for  three  things — rest,  worship  and  service. 
Any  habit  which  interrupts  these  three  uses  of  the 
Sabbath  is  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  Jesus,  and 
is  one  of  the  causes  for  the  unhapplness  and  loss  of 
men  in  every  part  of  the  world's  energy. 

"  Together  with  its  faith  in  the  ultimate  fashioning 
power  of  the  Church  and  its  teachings.  Christian 
Socialism  believes  and  teaches  the  great  value  and 
necessity  of  missionary  energy  to  help  bring  about  a 
better  social  order  among  men. 

"  Here,  again,  is  where  some  of  our  socialistic 
friends  will  put  on  their  hats  and  go  out.  Missions ! 
forsooth!  a  feeble  and  feminine  little  adjunct  to  the 
Church  and  prayer-meeting!  But  what  is  the  object 
of  Christian  Socialism.''  Not  simply  to  improve 
social  conditions  in  my  little  trades-union ;  not  simply 
to  bring  about  be 'iter  conditions  in  my  own  home,  or 
my  own  town  and  State,  but  everywhere  around  the 
world,  and  among  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 


Ij 


■■It 


:' 


l\ 


136      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

The  whole  social  order  needs  the  leaven  of  Christ. 
China  needs  it   as   well  as  Germany   and   America. 
India  and  Africa  and  Japan  need  life  abundantly,  and 
that  is  the  only  true  Socialism  which  takes  account 
in  its  programme  of  all  nations  of  the  earth.     It 
has  never  occurred  to  the  average  man  of  labor  to 
reckon  up  the  tremendous  debt  which  civilization  owes 
the  missionary,  both  home  and  foreign.     It  is  worth 
while  to  note  what  the  President  of  the  United  States 
has  recently  said  about  missions.     No  wiser  or  truer 
statements  have  ever  fallen  from  his  lips.     He  said, 
'  It  is  such  missionary  work  that  prevents  the  pioneers 
from  sinking  perilously  near  the  level  of  the  savagery 
against  which  they  contend.     Without  it,  the  con- 
quest of  this  continent  would  have  had  little  but  an 
animal  side.     Because  of  it,  deep  beneath  and  through 
the  national  character,  there  runs  that  power  of  firm 
adherence  to  a  lofty  ideal,  upon  which  the  safety  of 
the  nation  will  ultimately  depend.' 

"I  would  to  God  those  three  profound  sentences 
could  be  engraved  in  tablets,  and  put  up  in  every 
schoolroom,  church,  factory  and  mercantile  house 
in  .he  country.  Sneer  at  missions !  The  missionary 
of  the  Cross  has  been  worth  more  to  America  than  all 
the  money-seekers  or  politicians  in  its  history. 

"Commenting  on  these  remarkable  utterances  of 
Tresident  Roosevelt,  The  Outlook  of  last  August 
said :  ♦  That  this  is  a  sound  view,  no  one  who  has  stud- 
ied historically  the  forces  which  have  produced  the 
United  States,  can  deny.     The  home  missionary,  who 


iJS^^mr^'i^ 


K^f 


wm 


.    I 


THE  PROGRAMME  OF  SOCIALISM     187 

to  many  people  is  hardly  more  than  a  man  with  a 
wife  and  several  children,  somewhere  out  West,  to 
whom  a  barielful  of  odds  and  ends  is  sent,  and  from 
whom  is  received  a  letter  full  of  gratitude  and  ac- 
counts of  prayer-meetings,  is  in  reality  one  of  the 
most  dominant  agents  in  the  making  of  history  that 
the  world  has  ever  known.  Compared  with  the  set- 
tlement and  civilization  of  Europe,  the  spread  of  civ- 
ilization over  the  territory  which  now  comprises  the 
United  States  has  been  startling  in  its  swiftness.  No 
armies  ever  achieved  so  thorough  or  so  speedy  a  tri- 
umph as  the  American  pioneers  did.  And  an>ong  the 
pioneers  none  were  more  courageous,  none  more  stead- 
fast, and  none  more  in  earnest,  or,  on  the  whole,  more 
successful  in  attaining  tl'eir  purposes,  than  the  men 
who  went,  not  for  the  sake  of  extracting  wealth  from 
the  soil,  but  for  the  sake  of  establishing  righteousness 
in  the  new  communities.  In  the  midst  of  greed,  or 
what,  at  best,  may  be  called  the  spirit  of  acquisitive- 
ness, they  injected  the  spirit  which  seeks  not  to  get, 
but  to  give,  the  savii.^^  spirit  of  service,  the  leaven  of 
the  nation.' 

"  That  is  not  religious  fanaticism  or  sentiment,  it  is 
historical  fact.  The  same  thing  is  true  of  the  foreign 
missionary.  Wherever  the  Cross  of  Jesus  has  gone, 
borne  by  sincere  and  consecrated  hands,  there  has  gone 
healing  and  power.  The  largest  medical  institution 
in  the  world  is  in  India,  put  there  by  a  modest  young 
surgeon,  whose  name  probably  not  one  member  of 
a  trades-union  in  America  ever  heard  of.     Yet  this 


■M 


u4 


'f ' 


li 


\e^^Lt 


138      THE   HE.UIT   OF   THE  WORLD 

mission,  only  one  out  of  thousands  of  benofioont  insti- 
tutions planted  by  the  missionary  boards,  has  done 
more  to  hrip  solve  the  difficult  social  and  political  con- 
ditions of  that   part   of   India    than   anything  the 
British  Government  has  ever  been  able  to  do.     The 
debt  of  England  and  America  to  the  foreign  mission- 
aries for  the  work  which  they  have  done  to  open  a  new 
and  hostile  territory  to  commerce  alone  is  a  debt  which 
neither  nation  can  compute  in  terms  of  money.     The 
great  debt  the  world  owes  to  the  missionary  every- 
where is  the  debt  which  must  always  be  owed  to  those 
unselfish  men  and  women    who,   without   noise   and 
without  praise,  give  their  lives  to  lift  up  fallen  races, 
and  bring  the  Christ  of  God  into  a  depth  of  misery, 
want,  injustice  ai  '  torture,  of  which  the  American 
laborer  knows  noiL  .^.     Christian  Socialism  is  obliged 
to  note  the  fact  of  the  necessity  for  this  socializing 
influence  of  the  missionary  of  the  Cross,  and  it  puts  in 
a  foremost  place  in  its  platform   a  profound  belief  in 
this  agency  for  establishing  a  Christian  order  among 
all  the  children  of  men. 

"9.  Christian  Socialism  declares  as  one  of  its 
greatest  beliefs  its  faith  in  the  Christian  family  as  the 
centre  of  the  real  lasting  life  of  a  happy,  useful 
humanity.  In  other  words,  the  Christian  home  is  the 
greatest  institution  in  the  Republic,  and  around  it 
revolve  the  greatest  destinies,  and  can  be  found 
the  greatest  shaping  forces  of  the  future  of  the 
State. 

"  Christian  Socialism  resents  with  horror  any  social 


THE  PROGRAMME  OF  SOCIALISM    139 


teaching  which  treats  the  marriage  relation  with  h'ght- 
ness  or  contempt.  It  declares  the  doctrine  of  the 
New  Testament  as  to  one  wife,  and  the  teaching  of 
Jesus  on  the  matter  of  divorce,  accepting  only  one 
condition  as  permitting  a  lawful  separation  from  one 
person  and  marriage  to  another.  A  God-fearing, 
God-loving,  sacred  relationship,  a  family  altar,  an 
obedient,  truthful  upbringing  of  children,  a  mother- 
hood hallowed  by  simple  domestic  joys  and  service,  a 
fatherhood  ennobled  by  participation  in  children's 
plays,  and  sympathetic  with  their  ambitions,  a  home 
circle  which  is  a  genuine  centre  of  civic  righteousness 
and  Church  and  national  love ;  this  is  fundamental  to 
any  permanent  social  democracy.  Any  attempt  to 
establish  a  community  life  which  ignores  or  despises 
the  individual  Christian  family  is  an  attempt  which 
will  inevitably  result  in  disaster.  The  Republic  can 
never  be  rightly  socialized  until  the  family  is  rightly 
Christianized. 

his,  in  brief  outline,  is  the  programme  of  Chris- 
tian Socialism.  It  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the 
putting  of  Jesus'  teaching  into  practice  in  every-day 
life.  It  is  simply  the  attempt  to  do  all  things  to  the 
glory  of  God.  It  is  the  assertion  in  practical  terms 
of  the  Bible  teaching  that  the  earth  is  the  Lord's 
and  the  fullness  thereof.  It  is  man's  part  in  the 
answer  to  the  prayer  Jesus  taught  his  disciples  to 
pray, '  Thy  Kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven.' 

"  It  is  true,  this  kind  of  Socialism  depends,  first  of 


iff^ 


§ 


I 


•  'I 


P-JBTJ 


IBH 


140      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


all,  upon  a  regenerated  humanity ;  *  Seek  ye  fir^t  the 
Kingdom  of  God,'  is  the  first  sontenco  at  the  head  of 
the  Christian  Socialism  programme.  This  is  what 
makes  it  distinct  from  all  those  social  programmes 
which  place  first,  either  legislation  or  political  and 
commercial  supremacy.  Above  and  iinder  and 
through  all  the  Christian  Socialist's  efforts  to  make  a 
better  phyuical  condition  for  the  race  is  the  vision 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  in  the  individual  soul  of  man, 
acting  as  leaven  on  his  surroundings,  socializing  them 
with  the  same  divine  purpose  and  power:  'Man  ehull 
not  live  by  bread  alone,'  is  also  a  statement  fundamen- 
tal in  the  Christian  Socialist's  creed,  together  with 
Jesus'  other  statements,  '  A  man's  life  consisteth  not 
in  the  abundance  of  the  things  that  he  possesseth,' 
and  'What  shall  it  profit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole 
world  and  forfeit  his  life?' 

"  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that  ir  the  carrying 
out  of  this  programme,  the  Christian  Socialist  depends 
upon  the  quiet,  continuous,  loving  forces  which  nre  at 
work  already  in  the  world.  Education  of  the  people, 
enlightenment  of  human  reason  and  judgment  through 
all  the  avenues  of  the  Church,  the  school,  the  press, 
the  labor  organizations,  the  home,  the  platform,  the 
magazine,  the  debate,  the  formation  of  public  opinion 
in  all  peaceful  ways.  In  addition  to  all  this,  Chris- 
tian Socialism  expects  to  receive  most  of  its  inspira- 
tion and  its  progress  from  the  divine  source  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  who,  according  to  the  promise,  is  in  the 
world  on  purpose  to  take  tiie  things  of  Christ  and 


ILr- 


THE  PROGRAMME  OF  SOCIALISM     Ul 

show  them  unto  us.  To  carry  out  ft  definite  pro- 
gramme for  the  establishment  of  a  better,  happier 
■of'-^l  order,  and  take  no  account  of  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  is  as  impossible  for  Christian  Socialism,  as 
it  would  be  impossible  to  expect  a  <«tcam  engine  to  go 
without  lighting  a  fire  under  the  boiler  to  make  steam. 
The  divine  purpose  and  power  are  constantly  taken 
into  the  account  by  the  Christian.  '  Not  by  might, 
nor  by  power ;  but  by  my  spirit,  saith  the  Lord,'  is  the 
humble  reliance  the  Christian  Socialist  places  in  that 
strength  which  is  more  than  human.  By  wliich  alone 
man  shall  be  able  to  realize  any  degree  of  an  ideal 
human  societ}'. 

*'  Christian  Socialism  has  no  place  in  its  programme 
for  hatred  of  one  class  for  another;  it  contains  no 
place  for  race  prejudice,  or  for  a  doubtful  standard 
of  conduct ;  it  has  no  room  for  machine  methods  in 
politics  nor  for  narrow  sectarianism  in  religion ;  it 
entertains  no  false  visions  of  a  social  brotherhood 
built  up  by  force  or  legislation  in  a  day ;  it  sees 
clearly  the  slow-moving,  but  certain,  growth  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  in  the  world,  the  leavening  and 
shaping  factors  jf  divine  light  and  life.  It  has  its 
ideal,  as  it  should  have,  but  it  is  not  impracticably 
visionary  of  results.  With  a  majesty  which  will  not 
be  falsely  forced,  and  a  serenity  which  never  has  been 
superficially  fluttered,  with  an  energy  which  is  not 
stolidity,  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  being  established 
among  the  children  of  men.  The  final  achievement 
may  be  to  our  human  impatience  *  unreasonably  de- 


u< 


IfiiMK^ 


II 

:      -11 


i 


If 


!  1  ! 

■i  ■ 

, ; 

M'^ 

^**'*Ja_ 

142      TME  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

layed ' ;  but  in  the  end  righteousness  shall  prevail,  and 
the  Brotherhood  shall  be  established  on  earth,  as  it  is 
in  heaven,  even  as  God  wants  it  to  be,  and  as  Jesus 
taught  us  it  might  be,  if  we  obeyed  his  commandments 
and  lived  according  to  his  teachings." 

It  was  late  when  Stanton  finished  his  address,  and 
he  did  not  expect  any  large  number  in  the  audience 
would  remain  to  the  after  conference.  To  his  aston- 
ishment, scarcely  a  hundred  people  went  away.  For 
more  than  an  hour  longer,  question  and  answer  fol- 
lowed fast  on  each  other.  Even  when  the  chairman  of 
the  League  closed  the  conference,  because  it  was 
within  a  few  minutes  of  midnight,  groups  of  men 
gathered  about  Stanton,  eagerly  discussing  his  posi- 
tion, and  raining  questions  upon  him.  The  city 
papers  commenting  on  the  address  and  the  meeting, 
while  taking  exception  to  many  of  Stan+on's  views, 
acknowledged  frankly  that  the  subject  was  evidently 
one  of  great  public  interest,  and  that  it  could  not  be 
ignored  nor  sneered  into  oblivion. 

The  chairman  of  the  League  walked  along  with 
Stanton  to  his  hotel,  congratulating  him  on  the  suc- 
cess of  the  evening.  Stanton,  with  a  modesty  which 
was  his  usual  attitude,  attributed  whatever  was  a  suc- 
cess to  the  public  interest  in  the  subject. 

"  By  the  way,  that  man  who  made  the  interruption, 
do  you  know  him .'' "  Stanton  took  the  man's  card  out 
and  looked  at  it  as  they  pc.used  at  the  hotel  entrance, 
reading  the  name  aloud,  **  James  R.  Mansfield,  1012 
Prairie  Avenue.** 


mmm 


mmmm 


THE  PROGRAMME  OF  SOCIALISM     143 

The  chairman  shook  his  head.  "Never  heard  of 
him.     Shall  you  call  on  him.'"' 

"Yes,  I  think  so.  I  do  not  leave  the  city  until 
to-morrow  evening." 

They  shook  hands  and  said  good-night,  Stanton 
pondering  over  his  experience  at  the  Auditorium,  and 
feehng  the  natural  reaction  from  the  tension  he  had 
been  under  for  several  hours. 

In  the  morning  he  called  at  1012  Prairie  Avenue, 
and  in  reply  to  his  question  if  IMr.  Mansfield  was  at 
home,  was  informed  by  the  servant  that  he  was,  and 
invited  to  come  in.  He  was  ushered  into  a  large, 
handsomely  furnished  parlor,  and  had  hardly  seated 
himself  when  the  owner  of  the  house  came  in. 


U'.\. 


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•  i  i 


i 


1 


XII 

STONY  GROUND 

AS  Stanton  rose  to  meet  the  man,  he  noticed  a 
momentary  gleam  of  astoniblimeut  in  his  eyes, 
but  his  greeting  was  outwardly  civil  enough. 

"  Mr.  Stanton,  I  hardly  expected  you  would  take 
the  trouble,  f  ir,  to  come  out  here,  after  what  happened 
last  night." 

"  I  took  you  at  our  word,  brother,  and  I  am  here. 
I  hardly  know  why,  but  it  struck  me  you  went  away 
last  night  because  you  did  not  understand  my  posi- 
tion, not  because  you  really  disagreed  with  me." 

"  I  disagreed  with  you  because  I  believe  your  theo- 
ries are  all  wrong." 

"  I  did  not  come  to  argue  with  you,  brother,"  said 
Stanton  quietly.  "  But  I  had  an  idea  that  you  mis- 
understood my  definitions  and  my  position  generally." 

"  I  think  not,"  replied  Mansfield  a  little  stiflly.  "  If 
I  understand  you  as  I  think  I  do,  your  position  on  the 
question  of  property,  for  example,  is  like  this." 

lie  went  on  to  give  an  absolutely  false  construction 
to  Stanton's  teachings  in  the  matter  of  property  and 
private  ownership.  Stanton  listened  quietly,  but  it 
took  all  his  remarkable  self-control  to  maintain  his 
composure.  Mansfield  grew  excited  more  and  more, 
as  he  walked  up  and  down,  striking  vigorously  at 

144 


■AJ..'<OK 


mW^l'S^'-iEfFJl^ 


STONY  GROUND  145 

the  man-of-straw  bogie  he  had  constructed  out  of  his 
own  misconception  of  Stanton's  words  and  teaching. 
Even  when  Stanton,  in  a  brief  inf— nl,  during 
which  Mansfield  paused  to  take  breatl.  tt  mptcd  to 
set  him  right,  he  stamped  up  and  down  a  fused  to 

listen,   charging   Stanton   with   all   kinds  absurd 

teaching  and  confounding  the  words  socialism, 
anarchy,  communism,  free  love,  and  utopianism  with 
an  astonishing  display  of  ignorance,  which  finally  im- 
pressed Stanton  with  such  force  that  his  sense  of 
humor  came  to  his  relief,  and  he  sat  still,  listening  to 
Mansfield's  tirade,  smiling  inwardly  at  its  absui  ^ity, 
and  pitying  the  man  for  his  complete  lack  of  reason 
and  judgment  in  spite  of  his  apparent  intelligence. 

When  at  last  there  was  a  pause,  after  Mansfield  had 
exhausted  his  rhetoric  in  a  particularly  absurd  chal- 
lenge to  Stanton  to  deny  a  statement  Stanton  had 
never  made,  the  latter  rose,  and  quietly  said,  "Mr. 
Mansfield.  I  do  not  think  it  is  possible  for  me  to 
change  your  opinion  of  my  teaching.  All  I  wish  to 
say  is  this :  you  have  entirely  misunderstood  my  book, 
from  which  you  quoted  several  times,  each  time  incor- 
rectly, and  you  have  defined  terms  for  me  which  I  have 
never  made." 

Mr.  James  R.  Mansfield  stared  at  Stanton,  and  an 
angry  red  spot  began  to  glow  on  each  cheek.  Stan- 
ton walked  toward  the  door. 

"  I  don't  see  what  you  called  for,"  said  Mansfield 
savagely. 

"I  don't  either,  brother,"  replied  Stanton  with  a 


\  1,1 

I'll 


111 


146      THE   HEAHT  OF   THE  WORLD 


^   i 


Ml 


smile.  "  I  am  very  sorry  you  don't  understand  me ; 
but  I  am  sure  it  is  quite  useless  for  me  to  try  to 
explain." 

The  man  looked  at  him  sourly  for  a  moment,  and 
then  laughed,  "  You're  like  all  the  anarchists,  unrea- 
sonable, and  get  mad  over  an  argument ! " 

Stanton  gravely  bowed  and  went  out,  pondering 
the  rest  of  the  day,  as  he  went  about  the  city,  over 
the  strange  perversity  and  stupidity  of  some  kinds  of 
humanity- 
Going  home  on  the  evening  train,  he  met  one  of  his 
o  1  parishioners,  a  man  in  full  sympathy  with  his 
tej.«.hing  and  purpose.  In  conversation  and  in  answer 
to  questions  about  the  Auditorium  meeting,  Stanton 
mentioned  Mansfield's  name,  and  related  the  incident 
of  the  interruption. 

"James  R.  Mansfield.?" 
"  Yes,  he  lives  out  on  Prairie  Avenue." 
"I  know  him.     He  is  an  idle  fellow;  never  did  a 
stroke  of  honest  labor  in  his  life.     Lives  on  the  money 
his  father  made  in  real  estate  deals  after  the  big 
fire." 

"But  doesn't  it  astonish  you?"  asked  Stanton, 
"  that  this  man,  with  all  his  intelligence  and  educa- 
tion, should  so  absolutely  misunderstand  the  plain 
definitions  and  statements  I  made.''  Am  I  so  obsure  in 
my  doctrine  that  men  of  Mansfield's  calibre  cannot 
grasp  the  meaning.''" 

"My  dear  friend,"  said  Stanton's  parishioner  with 
a  smile,  "  do  you  realize  that  there  are  a  host  of  people 


STONY   GROUND 


147 


in  this  civilized  world  yet,  who  do  not  or  will  not  grasp 
an  idea  that  is  foreign  to  their  life  habits  of  thought? 
James  R.  Mansfield  is  simply  a  type  of  the  kind  of 
men  you  are  destined  to  meet  all  over  this  country, 
men  who  refuse  to  allow  new  ideas  or  definitions  to 
percolate  into  their  brains.  Even  when  you  prove  to 
such  people  that  anarchy  and  socialism  are  opposite 
ideas,  they  will  listen,  and  then  say,  '  Oh,  well,  for  all 
practical  purposes  they  are  just  the  same!'  What 
can  you  :lo  with  such  people?  " 

"  Give  them  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Lord," 
replied  Stanton  with  a  sigh. 

"Yet  some  of  these  newspaper  men  are  just  as 
bad,"  continued  his  friend,  taking  up  a  copy  of  an 
evening  paper  containing  an  account  of  the  meeting 
at  the  Auditorium. 

There  was  a  fairly  accurate  account  of  the  meeting 
itself,  and  a  number  of  extracts  from  Stanton's 
address.  But  in  an  editorial  his  address  was  attacked 
and  ridiculed  from  the  standpoint  of  the  editor,  as 
he  perverted  Stanton's  actual  views,  not  as  Stanton 
had  clearly  and  plainly  expressed  himself.  To  any 
one  who  had  not  heard  Stanton,  the  editorial  was  a 
profound  and  deserving  rebuke  for  a  visionary  and 
dangerous  social  doctrine.  But  it  was  Mansfield's 
bogie,  set  up  and  bravely  knocked  down.  The  address 
as  a  whole  was  not  analyzed.  The  main  thought  in  it 
was  contemptuously  ignored,  and  the  editor's  own  per- 
version of  socialism,  entirely  divorced  from  Christian 
teaching,  was  substituted. 


HI 


I 
ill 

li 


14 
•1 

I 

Hi' 


m 


m 


Tm 


•f.  '•"S-»-Fil 


■  1 


■  <  t 


'It 


\    !■:■ 


nil 


'I  I 


111 


148      THE   HEiVRT  OF   THE  WORLD 

The  whole  distortion  of  the  truth  stung  Stanton 
deeply.     It  was  a  cowardly  way  of  trying  to  throw 
the  reading  public  off  the  track.     Together  with  the 
incident  of  Mansfield's  protest,  it  added  to  his  fear 
that  the  people  were  not  yet  ready  for  his  doctrine. 
The  question  Mildred  had  raised  haunted  him.     "  Do 
you  think  the  people  will  listen  to  you?  "     He  recalled 
his  answer,  "Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel 
this  message  of  a  social  Christ  to  men,  whether  they 
are  ready  for  it  or  not."  And  as  he  drew  near  home,  his 
great  gentle  spirit  grew  calmer.     "  If  the  thing  is  of 
God,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  man  cannot  prevail  against 
it.     Not  all  the  stupid,  stubborn  Mansfields  and  edi- 
torials can  down  the  sure  rising  of  the  Truth." 

He  passed  a  few  days  in  Lenox  before  going  out  to 
his  next  engagement,  and  he  spent  a  part  of  the  time 
at  the  mills,  getting  educational  facts  to  use  concern- 
ing machinery,  hours  of  labor,  danger  to  workmen, 
etc.  In  passing  through  the  casting-room,  he  was 
surprised  to  see  Harvey  standing  by  the  "  Octopus  " 
talking  to  the  foreman.  He  seemed  very  much  excited 
over  something,  and  the  foreman  seemed  angry  at 
Harvey's  presence. 

As  Stanton  was  moving  slowly  along,  passing  into 
the  brass  foundry  room,  an  exclamation  from  Harvey 
drew  his  attention  again  to  the  two  men.  He  thought 
the  foreman  threw  up  his  arms  as  if  to  strike  the  labor 
leader.  Harvey  stepped  back,  his  dark  face  blacker 
still  with  passion,  and  at  that  moment  one  of  the 
derrick  arms  of  the  "  Octopus  "  swung  round  with  its 


STONY  GROUND 


149 


usual  load  of  white-hot  iiiotal.  There  was  a  hoarse 
cry  from  the  man  up  aloft,  who  pulled  at  t»>o  or  three 
levers  frantically.  Something  had  gone  wrong  some- 
where. Whatever  it  was,  Harvey  stood  in  great  peril. 
The  foreman  snatched  at  him,  missed  his  sleeve,  and 
jumped  back.  To  Stanton,  watching  the  whole  thing 
in  a  horrified  nightmare,  powerless  to  do  anything, 
events  merged  one  into  another  with  definite  but 
startling  rapidity.  A  workman  ran  out  from  under 
the  scorching  fist  of  the  derrick  arm,  and  shielding 
his  ej-es  from  the  blinding  glare,  flung  himself  on  the 
da^ed  figure  of  the  labor  leader,  just  as  the  remorse- 
less arm  broke  from  the  chain  and  swirled  over,  drag- 
ging its  connections  in  a  confused  tangle  over  the  spot 
where  Harvey  and  the  workman  had  fallen  together. 
There  was  a  second's  gleam  of  recognition  as  the  blue- 
white  flame  swept  the  actors  in  the  little  tragedy  into 
more  than  lime-light  distinctness,  that  Stanton  was 
conscious  that  the  workman  who  had  run  up  to  Har- 
vey was  Harwood,  the  mill  owner.  As  the  machinery 
came  to  a  stop,  and  men  paused  a  second  before  the 
possible  sight  under  the  broken  "  Octopus,"  Stanton's 
prayer  went  up  to  God  the  Father  for  all  his  suffer- 
ing children. 


it 


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m 


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i\ 


h. 


i 


m' 


II 


XIII 

THE   WORK   OF   THE   "OCTOPUS" 

WHEN  the  men  finally  ran  up  and  began  to 
clear  away  th  mass  of  broken,  twisted  ma- 
chinery, they  came  first  upon  Harvey.  One 
of  his  feet  was  crushed  and  held  down  by  a  piece  of 
broken  derrick  arm,  but  the  rest  of  his  body  was  free, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  bruises,  he  was  not 
seriously  injured,  although  he  was  unconscious. 

The  foreman  noted  the  details  of  the  accident  with 
a  cool  shrewdness  that  was  not  disturbed  by  so  com- 
mon a  thing  as  an  accident. 

"He  was  pushed  over  this  way.  Lucky  for  him 
that  he  was.     Now  the  other  fellow " 

The  workmen,  under  his  directions,  lifted  off  broken 
masses  of  metal  until,  after  half  an  hour's  careful 
work,  the  crushed  and  crippled  form  of  Harwood  was 
uncovered. 

Grimy  but  tender  hands  lifted  him  into  the  ambu- 
lance, which  had  been  summoned  and  had  been  wait- 
ing. The  foreman  hesitated  a  moment  about  sending 
Harvey  over  to  the  Company  Hospital,  but  the 
attendant  who  had  come  down  with  the  ambulance 
brought  word  that  the  doctor  had  sent  an  order  for 
Harvey  to  be  taken  to  the  hospital.  So  the  two 
bodies,  both  unconscious,  were  placed  into  the  vehicle^ 
side  by  side. 

150 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  "OCTOPUS"   151 

Stanton,  shocked  aniost  to  faintncss  by  Hftrwood's 
condition,  went  up  to  the  hospital  as  fast  as  he  could 
walk,  and  was  there  when  the  two  were  brought  into 
the  accident  ward.  There  was  nothing  he  could  do 
for  Harwowl,  so  he  stayed  by  Harvey  until  he  came 
to  himself,  after  his  foot  had  been  drissed. 

"Where  am  I?"  he  asked  feebly,  seeing  Stanton 
by  the  bedside. 

"  You  have  been  hurt  a  little.  You  are  in  the  Com- 
pany Hospital." 

Just  then  tiie  doctor  came  back  into  the  ward,  and 
spoke  to  Harvey. 

"There's  nothing  the  matter  with  you,  old  man, 
only  you  won't  walk  very  good  for  a  little  while,  and 
vou  got  a  fairly  good  crack  on  the  head,  but  no  bones 
broken.     What  I  call  a  miracle." 

He  went  on  out  into  the  corridor  and  Stanton 
stepped  out  there. 

"  How  about  Harwood  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Oh!  Yes,  the  foreman  told,  of  course.  A  most 
remarkable  affair.  Dr.  Stanton.  I've  telegraphed  his 
boys  to  come  on  from  Poughkecpsie.  They  can't  get 
here  until  to-morrow  night.     It'll  be  too  late." 

"You  don't  mean " 

"He  was  crushed  frightfully.  It's  a  wonder  he 
is  alive.     You  can  come  in  and  see  him." 

Stanton  went  into  the  room  where  Harwood  was 
lying.  He  was  so  terribly  marred  in  the  face  that 
Stanton  recoiled. 

"  It  will  not  do  any  harm — a  prayer " 


I 


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152      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

The  doctor  nodded  assent  gravely,  and  Stanton 
kneeled  and  prayed  gently  a  few  sentences.  He  wa» 
still  on  his  knees  when  Harwood's  lips  moved. 

Stanton  leaned  over  him  and  caught  a  whisper. 

"Tell  my  boys  not  to  love  mone^  mor"  than 
God — Leona — I  would  like  to  see  my  wife,  you 
know " 

That  was  all  Stanton  could  understand,  and  a  few 
moments  later  Harwood  passed  into  unconsciousness, 
and  was  in  that  same  stupor  when  Stanton  finally  left 
the  hospital  and  went  home. 

He  went  down  again  the  next  morning  after  break- 
fast. 

The  first  person  he  saw  in  the  corridor  was  J.  B. 
Wrightam. 

"  This  is  a  terrible  affair,  Dr.  Stanton,"  Wrightam 
said,  as  Stanton  entered. 

"  It  certainly  is,  Brother  Wrightam.  How  is  the 
poor  fellow  this  morning?  " 

"What!  Have  you  not  heard!  He's  gone! 
Only  ten  minutes  ago!"  Wrightam  spoke  in  great 
agitation.  "The  doctor  has  asked  me  to  meet  the 
boys  when  they  come  in  this  evening  on  the  7.30  and 
break  the  news.  I  can't  do  it.  Won't  you  do  that. 
Dr.  Stanton?  You're  more  used  to  such  things  than 
I  am." 

"  Yes,  I'll  meet  them.     Poor  fellows ! " 

Stanton  was  deeply  shocked  by  the  news.  But  he 
had  a  whole  lifetime  of  Christian  faith  to  fall  back 
upon.     Wrightam,  however,  seemed  smitten  into  a 


IJLIJU-      -UtlW^ 


■lir— • 


THE  WORK  OF  TIIK   "OCTOPUS"  ir,3 


dazed  condition.     lie  walked  up  nnd  down  through 
the  corridor. 

"  I've  known  Hanvood  since  wc  were  in  college 
together.  This  is  terrible.  I  had  no  idea  he  was 
down  in  the  mills.  What  fool  notion  was  that,  any- 
how!" 

Wrightam  burst  out  as  if  to  prevent  himself  from 
an  exhibition  of  some  softer  emotion.  "  He  must 
have  been  out  of  his  mind,  don't  you  think,  Mr. 
Stanton.'" 

"  No,  I  don't  think  so.  I  believe  he  was  perfectly 
sane." 

Wrightam  stared  and  resumed  his  walk.  Stanton 
asked  one  of  the  nurses  passing  through  the  hall  about 
Harvey.     Just  then  the  doctor  came  out. 

"  Do  you  want  to  sec  Harwood  ? "  he  asked. 

Stanton  nodded  and  f«,Ilowfd  the  doctor.  Wright- 
am  turned  at  the  ond  of  the  hall,  hesitated,  and  then 
came  along,  entering  the  room  with  them  where  Har- 
wood lay,  almost  at  the  same  time. 

The  lips  had  not  been  touched  by  the  cruel  iron  that 
had  put  its  disfiguring  mark  everywhere  else,  and 
Stanton  thought  of  that  as  he  went  out  after  an 
ii.stant's  stay.  Wrightam  stood  at  the  foot  of  the 
bed,  and  big  tears  were  rolling  over  his  large,  coarse 
face.  Stanton  felt  strangely  moved  at  the  sight  as 
Wrightam  stood  there. 

He  found  Harvey  sitting  up  in  bed,  already  fast 
recovering  strengtli.  The  man's  remarkable  physical 
vitahty  stood  him  in  good  stead. 


II, 


■MHRBPn 


II 

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HH 

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154   THE  HEART  CI'  THE  WORLD 

"Tell  me  about  the  a.  m<  it.  I  do ''t  seem  to 
remember  how  it  happened,"  !:■  ^aid  to  Stanton,  put- 
ting his  hand  up  to  hi«  he 

"You're  not  able  to    ..,'>  ninul  it." 


can  get  out  of  here 
as  soon  as  possible. 
■  !id  I  '  an'*-  afford  to 


ood,"  Stanton 
disclosure  that 

doctor  has  not 
I'd  a  rule  in  the 


"  Yes,  I  am.     The  do 
this  week.     I  want  to  g      a 
We  are  reorganizing  the  '  '"'!■ 
be  absent  from  the  meetu,, 

"He  docs  not  inquiu  •  .h..  ,' 
said  to  himself,  shrinking  fron  ' 
must  inevitably  come.  "  '.^'idcnlij  u 
told  him  yet."  And  then  he  reinenibt 
Company  Hospital  oflSce,  forbidding  nurses  or  attend- 
ants talking  to  the  patients  about  the  other  cases,  or 
mentioning  deaths  in  the  hospital  unless  to  relatives 
or  friends. 

"  Well,  when  I  entered  the  casting-room,  you  were 
standing  under  the  '  Octopus '  talking  with  the  fore- 
man. It  looked  to  me  as  if  you  were  having  a 
quarrel." 

"We  were,"  Harvey  replied  grimly.  "Wallace 
Macgregor  called  me  a  liar.  I  was  going  to  hit  him 
for  that  when  the  '  Octopus '  hit  me." 

"  Macgregor  tried  to  pull  you  out  from  under.  He 
reached  for  your  arm  as  he  sprung  back." 

"  He  did !  Well,  I  would  have  done  the  same  for 
him.     But  some  one  pushed  me.     WTio  was  that?" 

"One  of  the  men." 

"  I  got  a  pretty  good  crack  on  the  skull,  as  the 
doctor  said." 


A4. 


J'^n 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  "OCTOPUS"   156 

Han'ey  went  on  with  the  selfish  ituliffironoo  sonu'- 
tlmes  characteristic  of  him.  *'  But  if  I  once  get  out 
of  here  I'll  soon  Imve  the  Union  in  shape  to  dictate 
terms  to  Wrightam,  Harwood  &  Co.  By  the  way,  I 
have  not  seen  you  since  that  time  Bill  Warren  was 
burned  at  the  ^take,  and  forgot  to  ask  you  about  your 
going  to  see  Wrightani  and  Harwood,  to  talk  with 
them  aboat  loving  us  trarios-union  fellows.  I  suppose 
you  went.     What  sort  of  a  time  did  you  have?" 

"  Wrightam  received  me  as  I  anticipated.  I  could 
not  find  luiy  place  in  him  to  appeal  to,"  Stanton 
answered,  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Of  course  not.  Nor  in  Harwood,  either.  Of  tho 
two  mm,  I  prefer  Wrightam.  But  Harwood,  is  one 
of  these  proud,  cold,  aristocratic  fellows,  absolutely 
satisfied  with  his  social  position  and  without  the 
slightest  sense  of  the  Brotherhood  or " 

"Stop!"  Stanton  cried  sternly.  "Mr.  Harwood 
is  beyond  your  judgment  or  mine  or  that  of  your 
Union.  He  is  in  the  presence  of  the  God  of  all  the 
earth,  who  will  give  him  credit  for  the  good  you  and 
I  never  saw." 

"How!     What's  that!"     Harvey  stammered. 

"  Mr.  Harwood  is  lierc  in  the  hospital,  Harvey. 
He  died  here  about  an  hour  ago." 

"Died  here."" 

"  Yes,  but  before  dying  he  saved  a  life." 

"  Saved  a  life ! " 

"Yours,  Bruce  Harvey.  You  would  now  be  in 
his  place  if  he  had  not  done  what  he  did  yesterday." 


l^i 


hi 


156      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


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"  But  I  don't  understand,  Dr.  Stanton.     Tell  me  ? " 
Harvey  sat  up,  and  his  dark,  deep  eyes  glowed  with 
great  passion. 

Stanton  told  him  all  that  was  necessary  to  let  him 
know  how  Hanvood  came  to  be  in  Lenox  lower  mill 
as  an  operative.  The  narrative  humbled  and  softened 
Harvey  tremendously.  Several  times  he  interrupted 
to  give  expression  to  regret  at  his  language  about 
Harwood. 

When  Stanton  was  through  Harvey  was  silent 
a  while.     Then  he  burst  out : 

"  I  don't  want  to  carry  this  responsibility  of  obliga- 
tion around  with  me  all  my  life.  Why  did  he  do  it? 
I  did  not  ask  him  to ! " 

"  You  cannot  escape  it  now ;  it  has  occurred.  Per- 
haps it  will  help  to  temper  the  judgment  you  have 
sometimes  harshly  passed  on  your  fellow-men,"  Stan- 
ton said,  as  he  rose  to  go. 

"Don't  leave  me  now,"  Harvey  pleaded  almost 
piteously.  Stanton  had  never  seen  him  so  deeply 
shaken. 

Stanton  sat  down.  "Shall  I  pray?"  he  said. 
"  If  you  want  to,"  replied  Harvey,  after  a  moment. 
Stanton  prayed  earnestly.  The  tears  stood  i.i 
Harvey's  eyes  as  he  listened.  When  Stanton  rose 
to  go,  Harvey  said,  "Thank  you.  Things  seem 
mighty  queer  to  me  sometimes.  1  cannot  understand 
Mr.  Harwood's  conduct.  Life  generally  is  a  m.ix-up 
for  me  anyhow.  I  wish  I  had  your  faith  in  a  good 
God  over  all." 


•  -U-A 


■s-^  v^ffis:  °'«rv:-:*w:v>^Tv03P^ 


t!i 


THE  WORK  OF  THE   "OCTOPUS"  157 

"  You  can  have  it  if  you  want  it,  Harvey." 
Han-ey  shook  his  head  doubtfully,  and  Stanton 
went  out,  wondering  what   the  final   result   of   that 
experience  would  be  for  the  sombre  labor  leader. 

He  found  Lenox  stirred  to  keen  excitement  over 
Harwood's  death.     Every  one  was  talking  about  it. 
Some   enterprising   reporter   had   tracked   down    the 
facts  about  the  separation  of  Harwood  from  his  wife, 
and  the  Times  that  ev-ning  published  a  three-column 
sensational  "  story,"  half  of  which  had  no  foundation 
in  fact.     The  two  facts  of  the  separation  of  Har- 
wood from  his  family,  and  of  hie  working  in  Lenox 
lower  mill,  were,  however,  established  beyond  a  doubt, 
as  well  as  the  fact  that  he  had  been  killed  in  an 
attempt  to  save  the  life  of  Bruce  Harvey,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Labor  Union.     \   liether  he  recognized 
Harvey  before  the  accident  no  one  ever  kneu-.     The 
one  thing  prominent  in  men's  conversation  all  over 
Lenox  and  through  the  mills    was  the  fret  that  he 
had  given  his  life  in  a  brave  effort  to  save  another 
man,  and  there  was  not  an  operative  in  cither  mill 
that  day  who  withheld  his  word  of  praise  for  the  mill 
owner.     Men's  hearts  were  tender,  their  better  feel- 
ings were  stirred  over  the  event,  and  groups  at  the 
street  corners  all  over  the  town  that  day    stopped  to 
question   and   answer   as   to   Harwood's   purpose  in 
putting  himself  into  the  place  of  an  operative. 

Stanton  went  down  to  the  evening  train  to  meet 
Harwood's  two  boys.  They  both  broke  down  com- 
pletely when  they  saw  Stanton,  and  again  when  they 


i 


i 


i  i 


W:t:- 


I  i  1 


iU 


s,      ' 

1 ' 

lliiii  1 

158      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

went  up  to  the  hospital.  Two  days  later,  after  the 
funeral  service  was  over,  the  older  of  the  boys, 
Arthur,  came  to  Stanton  to  get  his  advice  as  to  the 
future. 

Stanton  was  exceedingly  interested  in  the  boy.  He 
was  nineteen  years  old,  and  had  his  father's  charac- 
teristics of  feature  and  manner. 

"I  don't  believe  I  can  go  back  to  the  military 
school,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  a  question.  "Father's 
affairs  were  in  Mr.  Wrightam's  hands.  His  will  has 
provided  liberaUy  for  Leona  and  Wallace  and  myself. 
I  feel  the  need  of  a  college  education,  and  I  think 
I  ought  to  go  to  Amherst.  Father  was  an  Amherst 
graduate,  you  know.  He  was  planning,  I  think,  to 
send  Wallace  and  me  there  this  fall.  When  I  get 
through  college,  I  would  like  to  come  into  the  mills 
in  some  way." 

"  In  what  way  do  you  mean?  »  Stanton  noted  the 
fact  that  the  boy  had  never  once  mentioned  his 
mother's  name. 

"Well,  i  hardly  know.  What  would  you  advise 
me?" 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  feel  competent,  my  boy,  to 
advise  you  until  I  know  what  you  plan  to  make  of 
yourself.  The  next  four  years  in  college  will  settle 
some  things  for  you.  Probably  you  will  have  to  wait 
for  some  definite  leading  of  God  before  vou  are  sure 
of  the  future." 

The  boy's  answer  was  a  surprise  to  Stanton  at  first. 
"I  am  pretty  sure  of  what  I  want  to  do.  Dr. 


=^^^W 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  "OCTOPUS"  159 


Stanton.  I  want  to  study  tlie  social  question  from 
the  workingman's  view.  I  don't  know  enough  yet,  of 
course.  That  is  why  I  feel  the  need  of  a  college 
course.  But  when  I  am  through  that,  I  am  certain 
I  shall  want  to  enter  the  mills,  something  as  father 
did." 

The  boy's  tone  and  manner  recalled  to  Stanton 
Harwood's  frank  statements  on  the  night  he  called  to 
tell  him  of  his  wife's  desertion.  Harwood  had  almost 
with  passion  declared  that  it  had  been  a  secret  desire 
with  him  for  years  to  get  near  to  the  heart  of  the 
social  problem,  and  that  at  heart  he  himself  was  in 
sympathy  with  the  people.  As  Stanton  looked  at 
the  boy,  he  could  not  help  saying  to  himself,  "  Blood 
is  thicker  than  water,  and  Harwood's  son  is  simply 
giving  expression  to  the  real  thing  which  smouldered 
in  his  father,  like  a  choking  fire,  covered  up  by  social 
usage  and  the  happenings  of  wealth  and  tradition. 
In  the  boy,  possibly  this  pent-up  fire  would  break  out 
and  run  over  the  crater's  lip,  down  the  mountain  into 
the  sea." 

Stanton  gave  him  good  counsel,  and  the  boy  went 
to  Amherst  that  fall,  where,  during  the  next  four 
years,  Stanton  kept  up  an  interesting  correspond- 
ence with  him,  and  noted  from  time  to  time  a  most 
remarkable  degree  of  progress  in  mental  power  and 
moral  purpose.  During  his  junior  year,  Arthur  Har- 
wood was  soundly  converted,  and  became  a  devout 
Christian,  but  all  that  belongs  to  its  own  place  in 
thia  narrative,  although  without  that  event  in  the  stu- 


8; 


I 


Ii 


160      THE   HEART   OF   THE  WORLD 


i.'i 


* 

i 

I         ■ 

"' 

■i      * 

^'l  i 

dent's  life,  the  results   that  follow  in  this  modest 
chronicie  could  never  have  occurred. 

Harvey's  stay  in  the  hospital  led  to  an  experiment 
which  also  had  its  significant  bearing  on  the  results 
of  Stanton's  labors  and  lectures. 

He  and  Harvey  had  many  earnest  talks  about  the 
whole  subject  of  labor  and  wealth  and  the  relation 
of  the  Church  to  the  whole  question. 

Harvey  took  the  ground  always  that  the  Church 
was  a  thoroughly  useless  institution,  full  of  hypo- 
crites, and  that  all  ministers  were  parasites,  doing  no 
real  labor  and  adding  nothiig  to  the  increment  of  toil. 

"How  long  is  it  since  you  were  inside  a  church, 
Harvey.?"  asked  Stanton,  after  one  of  these  discus- 
sions. Harvey  had  be-n  out  of  the  hospital  for  a 
week,  and  was  beginning  to  organize  the  Union  on  a 
strong  basis  preparatory  to  making  new  demands  on 
the  mill  company. 

"I  haven't  been  inside  a  church  for  over  twenty 
years." 

"And  yet  you  pretend  to  judge  the  Chu.ch  and  the 
ministry  without  any  real  knowledge  of  their  actual 
life.  Would  you  consider  it  fair  for  me  to  judge 
your  trade-union  if  I  had  never  attended  any  of  its 
meetings,  never  read  any  of  its  literature,  and  was 
absolutely  ignorant  of  its  daily  programme.?" 

"No,  of  course  not.  I  judge  the  Church  in 
general  by  its  fruits.  I  don't  have  to  go  to  its 
services  to  see  them." 

"  But  what  do  you  really  know,  Harvey,  about  the 


mr<sPW..2^t. 


THE  WORK  OF  THE   "  OCTOPUS  "  161 

fruits,  say  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  here 
in  Lenox?  " 

"  Well  "—Harvey  hesitated.  «I  may  not  know 
much  about  it  in  detail.  But  I  know  one  or  two 
mighty  mean  men  in  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church." 

"  I  suppose  there  are  no  mean  men  in  the  trade- 
unions  .'* " 

"  You're  wrong.  There  are  a  good  many  of  them. 
But  we  don't  pretend  to  be  any  better,  and  the  church 
members  do." 

"  Why  don't  you.'  Isn't  it  your  business  to  be  as 
good  as  church  members.?  Have  you  any  excuse  for 
not  being  as  good.'"' 

"  No  excuse,  perhaps ;  but  we  don't  pretend." 
"No,  your  men  are  bad  without  pretending.  I 
don't  see  much  difference  in  the  result,  Harvey.  But 
I  do  say  you  have  no  right  to  judge  the  Churches  as 
you  do  without  knowing  them  any  better.  A  man 
who  hasn't  been  to  church  for  over  twenty  years  is 
not  m  a  position  to  know  what  a  church  is  worth  in 
the  world." 

"Maybe  you're  right,"  Harvey  said  good- 
naturedly.  He  was  thinking  of  something  that 
seemed  to  lighten  up  his  dark  face  expressively. 

"I'll  go  to  church  if  you'll  go  with  me,"  he  said 
nnally. 

" I'll  be  glad  to  go.     When.? " 

"I  have  a  plan,  Mr.  Stanton.     You  said  the  other 

day  you  had  purposed  to  be  in  Lenox  three  or  four 


■it 


i 


■  .I 


r.ig'*. 


i 


M 


i  V  i        ?  f 


162      THE   HEART  OF   THE  WORLD 

weeks  to  prepare  material  for  your  lectures.  I'll  go 
to  church  with  you  every  Sunday  and  to  prayer  meet- 
ings as  well.  We'll  visit  as  many  churches  as  we 
can,  as  strangers,  and  I'll  promise  to  keep  my  mind 
open,  without  prejudice,  to  judge  of  everything  on 

its  merits." 

«'  But  I'm  too  well  known  here,  Harvey,  to  attend 

church  as  a  stranger." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  Harvey  answered. 
«*It's  been  nearly  two  years  since  you  left  Saint 
Cecilia.  You  haven't  been  here  half  a  dozen  Sundays 
in  that  time.  Saint  Cecilia  has  a  new  man,  and  I 
heard  you  say  the  other  day  that  you  had  not  met 
liijn.  if_if  you  shaved  ofF  your  beard  and  wore 
glasses  I  don't  believe  any  one  would  know  you." 

"Isn't  that  asking  a  good  deal?"  Stanton  asked, 

laughing. 

"  Maybe,  but  I'd  like  to  know  what  kind  of  a  recep- 
tion we  would  get  going  into  the  churches  as  total 

strangers."  t  j    »v 

"  The  thing  has  been  tried  several  times.  1  don  t 
know  that  I  attach  much  value  to  it  as  a  test.  But 
I'm  willing  to  try  it,"  said  Stanton,  who  was  eager  to 
win  Harvey  to  a  right  thought  of  the  Church.  His 
assent  to  the  little  disguise  of  the  glasses  and  the 
rfemoval  of  his  beard  evidently  pleased  Harvey,  and 
the  next  Sunday  found  them  on  their  way  together 
to  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church.  They  had  both 
agreed  to  dress  plainly  but  neatly,  and  might  have 
passed  for  almost  any  kind  of  trade  or  business  men. 


'-*^v. 


XIV 

A   TEST   AN'D   A    NEW    FACTOR 

ONE  of  the  ushers  in  the  vestibule  met  them 
courteously,  and  escorted  them  to  good  seats 
about  halfway  down  the  aisle.  There  did  not 
happen  to  be  any  hymn-books  in  the  rack,  but  as  the 
congregation  rose  to  sing,  a  woman  sitting  behind 
them  haidcd  each  of  them  a  book.  When  the  service 
was  over,  they  found  the  minister  at  the  door  shaking 
hands.  He  had  never  known  Stanton  intimately  and 
Harvey  not  at  all. 

"Glad  to  see  you,"  he  said  heartily.  "Come 
again.  Glad  to  see  you  at  our  prayer-meeting  if  you 
are  in  town  this  week."  As  they  went  out  an  usher, 
with  a  smile,  handed  each  of  them  a  leaflet  with  a  list 
of  church  services  for  the  week,  and  a  printed  invita- 
tion to  attend  as  many  of  them  as  possible. 

"Well,  what  did  you  think  of  it.?"  asked  Stanton, 
glancing  at  Harvey  quizzically,  as  they  walked  along. 
"  I  don't  mind  saying  I  wus  surprised,"  said  Har- 
vey, who  had  listened  and  looked  at  everything  in 
perfect  silence.  "  But  that  was  probably  an  excep- 
tion. Has  that  man  been  preaching  that  sort  of 
thing  very  long.'" 

"  Well,  I  never  heard  Brother  Wells  preach  before 
except  at  a  Thanksgiving  service.  He  gave  a  series 
one  winter  on  the  '  Rights  of  man  and  the  Rights  of 
God.'     What  did  you  Ihijik  of  his  sennon  to-day  ,^'» 

163 


m 


I 


^SLI^V^ 


164   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


;fi      { 


J      i 


"It  was  good!"  said  Harvey  emphatically.  "It 
was  full  of  horse  sense.  And  it  got  down  to  man's 
needr..  Say,  I  don't  see  why  more  workingmcn  don't 
go  to  hear  Mr.  Wells." 

"There  wore  a  good  many  men  there.  There  is 
where  you  men,  Harvey,  make  a  great  mistake.  You 
sneer  at  the  Church,  and  say  it  is  for  women  and 
girls  and  children.  The  great  bulk  of  all  the  church 
members  in  our  most  useful  churches  are  wage- 
earners,  clerks,  and  small  salaried  men." 

"  Well,  the  sermon  was  all  right.  I'll  concede  that. 
And  the  rest  of  the  service  was  good  enough.  But  I 
expect  the  Second  Presbyterian  is  an  exception  in 
Lenox." 

In  the  evening  they  went  to  Saint  Cecilia,  as  Stan- 
ton felt  he  might  escape  notice  better  than  if  they 
went  in  the  daytime. 

The  beautiful  church  was  about  half  full  when  they 
were  shown  to  a  pew  by  a  M-ell-dressed  usher,  who 
treated  them  courteously,  and  handed  each  of  them  a 
programme  of  the  evening  service. 

There  was  an  organ  voluntary',  a  responsive 
reading,  an  anthem  ("Ave  Maria"),  another  anthem 
following  the  offering,  two  hj'mns,  u  prayer,  a 
Bible  reading,  a  sermon,  and  another  selection  by  the 
quartette,  with  an  organ  postlude. 

The  minister  preached  about  the  Temple  Service 
in  Solomon's  time,  and  dwelt  at  length  on  the  stately 
ritual,  emphasizing  its  value  to  the  worshiper  as  an 
outward  means  of  educating  his  religious  senses  and 


A  TEST  AND  A  NEW  FACTOR       165 

putting   him    in    tlio   proper    mood    for    repentance, 
communion  and  awe. 

As  they  came  out  of  the  vestibule,  Stanton  was 
crowded  against  one  of  his  old  parishioners,  who 
turned  to  apolo^n"ze,  and  in  nn  instant  as  tlicv  went 
down  the  stops,  recognized  his  furnier  pnstt.r,  in  spite 
of  the  beardless  fnco  mid  the  eye-glasses. 

Stanton  quietly  introduced  Harvey,  and  at  the  foot 
of  the  steps  took  the  parishioner's^rm  and  walked 
with  him  a  bttle  ways,  explaining  frankly  the  experi- 
ment he  and  Har^•ey  were  making,  asking  that  their 
plan  be  respected  and  not  disclosed  to  any  one.  When 
they  parted  from  the  member  of  Saint  Cecilia,  Har- 
vey, who  had  been  repressing  his  feelings,  broke  out 
m  a  savage  tirrde  at  the  Church,  and  all  he  had  seen 
and  heard  that  night. 

"  That's  what  I  mean  by  saying  the  Church  is  a 
useless  appendix  to  society.     Bah!     How  much  Gos- 
pel  was  there  for  men  like  those  you   and   I  know 
m  the  mills,  in  that  sermon.'     I'll  adniit  it  was  all 
very   refined   and   velvety.     Brother   Sayers   is   war- 
ranted nof   to  offend  anybody's  delicate  taste;  that 
would  be  dreadfn],  of  course.     How  one  of  the  old 
prophets  like  Elijah  or  Nehemiah  would  jar  on  the 
tender  nei  ves  of  that  audience !     And  whfn  the  plates 
are  passed  by  men  like  Cummings,  the  great  Trust 
promoter,  it  is  the  climax  of  all  you  can  desire.     I 
thought   Cummings   recognized   me,   he  looked   hard 
enough ;  but  luckily  I've  lost  so  much  fle.h  owing  to 
my   accident,   he   didn't   know   anything.     I   put   a 


«1 


i 


w. 


\ 


166   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


*•  ii< 


II  mii' 


I 


m 


if  5 1 


I : 


i 


■ii;i 

■hi^i 

il 


nickel  into  the  sanctuary  plate  to  support  the  Gospel 
as  it  is  not  preached  in  Saint  Cecilia." 

Stanton  walked  along  in  painful  silence.  His 
heart  had  been  sore  as  he  sat  in  a  pew  in  his  old 
church  that  night,  and  allowed  meniorj  to  do  its 
work. 

There  had  been  some  godly  people  in  that 
church.  There  were  some  yet.  With  all  of  Stan- 
ton's strange  life  of  cowardice  during  his  pastorate 
in  Saint  Cecilia,  there  had  grown  up  in  spite  of  what 
he  had  held  back,  a  few  souls  even  in  those  velvet- 
carpeted  surroundings,  who  had  not  bowed  the  knee 
to  Mammon.  But  as  he  had  sat  there  noting  the 
display  of  wealth  and  ostentation  in  the  house  of  God 
his  heart  sank,  and  a  wave  of  bitterness  swept  over 
him  at  the  thought  of  the  neglected  childhood,  the 
desperate  condition  of  the  crowded  slums  down  by 
the  river,  the  open  and  flaunting  institutions  of  gam- 
bling and  vice  and  drink  that  festered  and  rotted 
in  one  large  part  of  Lenox,  while  these  silk  and  satin 
clothed  worshipers  in  the  temple  that  cost  half  a 
million  dollars  complacently  threw  God's  money  after 
dress  and  fashion  and  pleasure,  and  repudiated  the 
duty  of  service  to  the  State  or  the  city,  and  absconded 
with  God's  wealth,  denying  their  stewardship  and 
worshiping  the  golden  calf  as  the  greatest  of  all 
things  in  the  world. 

Harvey  at  last  understood  Stanton's  silence  and 
ceased  his  Invective.  When  they  parted  for  the  night 
he  said  with  a  &mile: 


A  TEST  AND  A  NEW  FACTOR      167 


"  I  guess  we  broke  about  even.  The  Second  Pres- 
byterian is  on  your  side  of  the  argument,  and  Saint 
Cecilia  on  mine." 

They  had  visited  two  difTerent  Sunday  Scliools, 
and  Harvey  had  also  frankly  confessed  hi.^  surprise  at 
what  he  had  noted  in  those  schools. 

"The  Sunday  Schools,  how  about  them?" 

Harvey  replied.  "I  haven't  been  to  a  Sunday 
School  since  I  was  a  boy.  It  looks  like  a  great 
improvement  to  me.     I'll  concede  that  much." 

For  the  next  two  months,  Stanton  and  Harvey 
faithfully  visited  all  the  preaching  services,  Sunday 
Schools  and  prayer-meetings  they  could  attend. 
Twice  Stanton  was  recognized.  Once  Harvey  met  a 
number  of  mill  men  in  a  mission  established  by  one 
of  the  churches.  In  all,  they  succeeded  in  visiting 
twenty-five  different  churches,  most  of  them  Harvey's 
selection.  Lenox  had  over  one  hundred  Protestant 
Church  buildings  and  a  Catholic  Cathedral.  This 
latter  they  also  visited,  and  each  man  in  his  own 
fashion  was  impressed  by  what  he  saw  there. 

At  the  end  of  the  time,  Harvey  confessed  to  Stan- 
ton that  the  experiment  had  been  an  eye-opener  to 
him. 

"  I'll  give  in  to  you  on  part  of  what  you  say.  Some 
of  these  churches  seem  to  be  doing  Hrst-rate  service. 
That  prayer-meeting  at  the  Second  Presbyterian  is  a 
surprise  to  me.  I  had  no  idea  there  was  such  an  insti- 
tution in  Lenox.  And  the  same  is  true  of  the  First 
Baptist  and  the  First  Christian.     I  don't  know  as  I 


i 


,  ^AtV  ^ 


'I    1 


f 


t 


168      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

feel  particularly  struck  with  any  of  the  prcachinjf, 
but  it  sicined  to  nic  most  of  it  was  sincere  enough  and 
■ — well — I'm  willing  to  concede  I  was  mistaken  on 
several  counts,  because  I  didn't  know." 

Stanton  was  naturally  pleased  with  Har.ey':  con- 
fession. 

"  I  wish  every  workingman  In  the  nills  could  have 
the  same  experience,  Harvey.  Only  two  days  ago  I 
heard  some  of  the  men  sneering  at  preachers  as  a 
useless  quantity, — in  the  profession  for  the  social 
distinction,  the  ease  and  the  laziness  of  it,  and  so 
forth.  Why,  do  you  know,  Harvey,  you  do  know, 
that  scores  of  foremen  in  the  mills  get  higher  wages 
to-day  than  half  the  ministers  in  Lenox,  and  do  not 
for  one  minute  begin  to  lead  such  self-denying  lives. 
The  ministers  of  Lenox,  on  the  average,  spend  ten 
times  as  much  money  and  time  in  relieving  distress 
and  helping  the  poor  of  Lenox  and  of  other  countries 
as  the  mill  owners  or  operatives  ever  think  of  spend- 
ing. The  average  salary  of  the  ministers  in  the 
United  States  is  less  than  a  thousand  dollars  a  year, 
and  it  certainly  cannot  be  said  of  the  majority  of 
them  that  they  are  selfish  money-seekers  or  social 
parasites,  yet  you  and  the  majority  of  mill  men  and 
what  you  call  the  wage-earners  are  always  bitter  or 
indifferent  toward  the  ministry,  as  if  you  had  a 
special  grudge  against  them,  and  you  have  no  use  for 
the  Church,  about  which  most  of  you  know  absolutely 
nothing.  Do  you  think  it  is  strange,  if  after  a  good 
many  years  of  this  sort  of  treatment  from  the  masses, 


f  *  *-■  'Wl^f'^ 


A   TEST  AND  A   NEW  FACTOR       169 

the  hanl-workin^,  *»olt'-flnivinj3f  iikm  nnd  wouicmj  in 
the  churches,  hoth  iniiiistci^  and  nu-mhcrs,  hcgin  to 
get  a  httle  rc«»tivo,  uiul  think  it  is  about  time  some- 
thing wu'^  said  about  the  selfishness  and  narrowness 
of  the  trade-um'ons  and  the  lal)or  movement  gen- 
erally? Instead  of  asking  the  old  questioi.,  'Why 
don't  the  Churches  reach  the  masses?'  some  of  us 
begin  to  think  it  is  time  to  change  it  to  this,  'Why 
don't  the  masses  join  the  Church  uhich  Je.sus  loved, 
and  do  as  he  commanded  them?'  Instead  of  that  yon 
know,  Harvey,  your  trade-union  ortjiiiii/Mt ion  is  just 
as  selfish  a  thing  as  the  mill  company  ever  w,i<  Vou 
say  you  are  fighting  for  your  rights.  But  in  doing 
it  you  pay  very  little  attention  to  the  rights  of  any 
one  else." 

"These  be  strong  words,  Brother  Stanton,"  said 
Han'ey,  his  dark  eyes  glcwing. 

"  But  they  are  true,"  Stanton  said  vigorously. 
"  Your  trade-union  as  it  exists  in  Lenox  is  a  Godless 
institution.  You  are  after  nothing  but  bread  alone. 
You  do  not  have  any  higher  motive  than  Wrightam 
and  his  tribe  have,  and  the  result  of  your  success,  as 
his  has  been,  is  emptiness  and  bitterness  of  soul. 
Harvey,  the  whole  of  this  Labor  and  Capital  struggle 
is  a  terrible  comment  on  the  unregenerated  man.  I 
Bee  no  hope  for  its  final  settlement  right  until  it  is 
settled  on  the  basis  of  a  real  brotherly  love  between 
men,  and  neither  Labor  or  Capital  knows  anything 
about  this  vet.  It  is  a  strife,  a  hattlf.  a  stn^crcrlp 
between  two  great  forces.     Tiie  essential  factor  of 


w 


<\ 


*■ 


no   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

Love  is  not  present  in  the  mind  or  thought  of  either 
side.     It  does  not  exist  in  their  hearts." 

"Maybe  you  are  right,"  Harvey  said,  much  to 
Stanton's  surprise.  "But  perhaps  we  have  not 
reached  that  phase  of  our  evolution  yet.  The  most 
we  can  do  at  present  is  to  fight  power  with  power. 
Maybe  the  love  will  come  afterwards." 

"It  is  not  the  way  to  arrive  at  it,"  Stanton 
answered  with  a  sigh.  Their  conference  ended  and 
they  parted  for  a  time,  Harvey  to  complete  the 
organization  of  the  Union,  which  was  about  to  dic- 
tate new  terms  to  the  company,  and  Stanton  to  go 
out  again  on  a  new  lecture  engagement,  which  took 
him  into  several  large  cities. 

During  his  absence  from  home  he  grew  more  and 
more  impressed  with  the  truth  he  had  tried  to  impress 
on  Uarvey.  The  only  real  hope  for  a  better  society 
was  the  regenerated  individual.  Coming  back  to 
Lenox  after  an  absence  of  three  weeks,  he  took  counsel 
with  the  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
and  a  few  other  ministers  and  prominent  laymen,  all 
good,  earnest  men,  and  the  result  was  that  within 
two  weeks,  Stanton,  assisted  by  these  men,  had  begun 
a  series  of  evangelistic  meetings  in  the  old  Rink  down 
by  the  mills. 

Never  had  the  pover  of  the  Holy  Spirit  been  so 
manifest  from  the  beginning,  as  in  these  meetings, 
which  became  afterwards  famous  in  the  annals  of 
Lenox  history.  Night  after  night  the  old  building 
was   crowded,   anc'    Stanton   preached  a  simple   but 


A  TEST  AND  A  NEW  FACTOR      171 


profound  Gospel  of  Love.  Hundreds  of  the  mill  men 
began  to  respond  to  his  appeal,  made  every  night,  to 
accept  Christ  as  Lord  and  Master  in  every  act  of  life. 
There  was  no  cheap  and  noisy  excitement.  Some- 
times over  the  breathless  audience  the  Spirit's  power 
and  presence  were  so  manifest  that  the  most  ignorant 
scoffers  felt  them  and  were  melted  to  tears  and  resolve. 
Even  the  Lenox  Times  conceded  that  never  before 
in  its  history  had  Lenox  witnessed  such  a  remarkable 
religious  experience. 

It  was  in  the  meeting  at  the  close  of  the  first  week 
of  this  manifestation  of  divine  presence  that  Stanton 
first  saw  Harvey.  He  had  not  been  present  before  to 
Stanton's  knowledge.  He  waited  until  the  service 
was  over  and  the  last  man  gone.  His  manner  was 
full  of  repressed  excitement,  and  Stanton  easily  saw 
that  Harvey's  former  friendship,  amounting  even  to 
a  brotherly  esteem,  had  all  disappeared. 

In  place  of  the  old  attitude  was  a  hard,  angry  man- 
ner that  made  no  effort  at  concealment. 

The  two  men  were  alone  in  the  building,  except  for 
the  janitor,  who  was  at  the  other  end  of  the  room  at- 
tending to  some  of  h.is  duties  preparatory  to  closing  up. 

Harvey  came  near  to  Stanton,  and  in  a  voice  of 
passion  exclaimed,  "  These  meetings  have  got  to  stop ! 
They  are  interfering  with  my  plans !  And  either  you 
or  I,  Mr.  Stanton,  have  got  to  answer  for  it.  But  in 
any  case,  I  say  the  meetings  have  got  to  stop ! " 

Stanton  made  no  reply  immediately,  but  looked  at 
Harvey  calmly. 


i 


fi* 


i.E 


11 


I  ' 


XV 

A  PERSONAL  ENCOUNTER 

A  FTER  a  little,  Stanton  said,  "  Do  you  realize 
/-%  what  you  are  saying?" 

"Perfectly  well.     I  say  these  meetings  have 
got  to  stop," 

Again  Stanton  looked  at  Harvey  silently.     Harvey 
stepped  up  a  little  nearer,  menacingly.     Then  it  was 
that  Stanton  smelt  the  fumes  of  liquor  and  under- 
stood that  he  had  been  drinking.     The  knowledge  of 
this  fact  explained  Harvey's  unusual  excitement ;  but 
it  disturbed  Stanton  deeply,  as  he  had  never  known 
Harvey  to  be  guilty  of  the  habit.     If  he  ha-i  been 
sober  he  would  not  be  in  any  doubt  as  to  the  ri^^t 
course  to  take  with  him.     As  it  wa»  he  was  in  tl^ 
dark,  and  the  uncertainty  in  hi*  mind  left  only  one 
thing  clear.     That  was  to  avoid  a  quarrel  in  which  t^ 
should  be  obliged  to  regret  any  aet  of  his  own  m 
the  after-time  when  Harvey  had  come  to  his  senses. 

"  Harvey,  these  meetings  are  m>ir  in  f^ie  control  of 
more  than  human  forces.  It  i«  not  in  my  power  or 
yours  to  stop  them.  It  ,«  Gwl's  *,orJ<,  ai'vd  must  go 
on." 

"  But  I  say  they  must  stop !  Do  you  hear  .^  ^op ' 
The  men  are  gettirig  away  from  me.  What  right 
have  you  to  sttp  between  the  men  and  me?     Thert 

112 


A  PERSONAL  ENCOUNTER 


173 


are  over  5000  men  who  have  been  subject  to  my 
orders.  No  man  on  earth  shall  rob  nie  of  this  power. 
I  got  it  by  hard  knocks,  and  neitlier  you  or  any  other 
man  has  a  right  to  take  it  away  from  n,...'' 

"  How  do  these  meetings  interfere  with  your  plans, 
Brother  Harvey?"  Stanttm  asked,  thinking  that 
possibly  Harvey  would  be  ied  on  to  a  recital  of  sup- 
posed grievances  which  could  be  answered. 

"  How  do  they  !  "  Hancy  exclaimed  afigrily.    "  Lis- 
te     to  me.     The  Lenox  company  is  about  to  consoli- 
date the  mills  at  Oreville.     But  in  ''     .g  it  thev  will 
reduce  the  force  here  to  SOOO  nnn.      .  n,it  will  throw 
over  2000  men  out  of  work.     The  Union  at  Oreville, 
together  with  the  one  here  in  Lenox,  is  strong  enough, 
financially,  to  start  a  co-operative  mill  company  of  its 
own.     We  have  a  combined  capital  enough  to  build 
and  operat#>  our  own  plant.     We  have  the  skilled  labor 
to  run  it  af*«rr  it  is  built.     Why  should  we  slave  for 
«f.  B.  Wrigiitam  &  Co.,  when  we  can  work  on  our  own 
a^mxnt  for  our  mutual  profit.     My  plan  lias  been  to 
strike  Ijoth  iiere  and  at  Orevilh'.     Then  force  the  fight 
on  the  company  and  >♦  i*  know  wc  are  nut  dependent 
on  it.     If  possWf ,  to  </-^]c  k  by  a  withdrawal  of 
every  skilled  wor!<man.     TV  plan  of  the  Lenox  com- 
pany to  drop  »000  mii)  k  »  .v>ld  blooded  scheme  to 
redw*  the  .,-,fput  «//  vf'm^  ^  |,/r-s  on  the  product. 
I've  no*  m»4<  our  plan  i/thiie  ffi       But  these  meet- 
mfp  are  weanwig  tlie  men  a*>»y  ttom  it.      Hundreds 
«fr  iifjt  wi#}ng  to  agrtr  to  it  now."    Ha rvey  struggled 
ueajrer  4x4  'mm4  his  arm  t^^/eatenmgly.    "  .Mr.  Stan- 


i 


174      THE   HEART  OF   THE  WORLD 

ton,  no  man  loves  power  more  than  I  do.  I've  lived 
all  my  life  to  get  it,  and  I  don't  intend  to  lose  it 
through  the  sniveling  drivel  of  evangelist  revival 
meetings.  I  say  these  meetings  must  stop.  It's  up 
to  you  and  me  now." 

The  janitor  of  the  building  had  finished  his  work 
at  the  end  of  thu  room,  and  was  coming  down  towards 
the  platform  to  put  out  some  lights  there. 

Stanton,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  was  deeply  and 
honestly  perplexed.  At  the  heart  of  his  perplexity 
there  was  also  a  profound  sorrow.  He  had  been  grow- 
ing to  love  Harvey,  and  had  looked  forward  to  the 
man's  development  along  the  personal  Christian  way 
of  life.  The  whole  aspect  of  the  unexpected  situation 
that  now  confronted  him  was  in  the  nature  of  a  shock 
that  came  so  suddenly  as  to  leave  him  unprepared. 

But  he  called  out  to  the  janitor,  «  William,  I  want 
to  see  this  brother  alone  for  a  while.  Won't  you 
kindly  wait  in  the  coat-room  until  we  are  through?" 
The  janitor,  who  was  used  to  the  habit  of  the  after- 
conferences  which  had  been  a  feature  of  the  meetings, 
turned  aside  into  the  coat-room,  and  Stanton  breathed 
easier  at  the  removal  of  a  witness  to  the  act  he  now 
feared. 

He  turned  to  Harvey  and  smiled  in  his  old  fashion, 
laying  his  hand  on  Harvey's  arm,  they  were  so  near. 

"  Brother,  no  wrong  can  come  to  the  men  or  you 
because  of  these  meetings.  Your  plan,  if  right,  will 
not  suffer  in  the  end  if  God's  wilj  is  done  by  voa  and 
the  men.     Leave  the  outcuuie  with  him.  "  1  canttot 


mj3m 


A  PERSONAL  ENCOUNTER 


176 


stop  these  meetings.     The  breath  of  God  is  in  them. 
It  would  be  blasphemy  to  attempt  it.     It  would " 

"  Take  that,  you  coward — you  preacher ! "  Harvey 
suddenly  yelled,  and  with  the  words  he  struck  Stan- 
ton twice,  savagely,  on  the  mouth. 

Fredrick  Stanton  had  always  preached  the  doc- 
trine of  non-resistance,  but  he  had  never  been  called 
upon  to  practice  it  in  a  concrete  form  He  was  fully 
Harvey's  equal  in  physical  strength  and  courage. 
He  was  his  superior  under  the  conditions  that  wero 
now  true  of  Harvey.  For  one  brief  instant  the  prim- 
itive man  in  him  surged  up  red-handed,  and  all  the 
hot-blooded  savage  in  him  cried  out  to  give  blow  for 
blow.  When  that  instant  passed  it  left  him  standing, 
still  outwardly  pale,  but  as  rigid  and  immovable  as  a 
stone. 

Harvey  had  stepped  back  as  if,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  expecting  attack. 

"Why  don't  you  fight,  preacher.?  Strike  me. 
It's  your  turn  now ! " 

"Han'ey!"  Stanton's  voice  thrilled  even  through 
the  drunken,  maddened  senses  of  the  labor  leader.  "  I 
shall  never  strike  you.  '  Vengeance  is  mine.  I  will 
repay,  saith  the  Lord.' " 

And  then  there  took  place  a  strange  thing,  as  unex- 
plained afterward*  by  both  men  as  if  it  had  been  in 
the  realm  of  other  world  powers.  Stanton  took  Har- 
vey by  the  ai-m,  and,  not  being  conscious  that  he  was 
using  any  unusual  strength,  he  led  him  to  the  door  at 
ihf:  rear  of  the  platform,  out  through  the  small  room, 


I' 


E~'' 


IsJI 


E_  .^'•■ 


176   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

and  through  that  out  upon  the  street.  Harvey  went 
as  if  dazed,  uttering  no  word,  making  no  strugg!- . 
Like  one  in  a  waking  dream  he  staggered  down  t.io 
street,  and  Stanton,  after  watching  him  a  moment, 
went  back  into  the  Httle  room  and  kneeled  a  few 
moments,  wiping  off  the  blood  from  his  lips  as  he 
prayed  : 

"O  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  give  me  this  man  for 
my  hire !  Forgive  him,  Lo:d,  he  knew  not  what  he 
did !  O  grant  thy  presence  with  all  those  poor  crea- 
tures. O  give  the  world  that  which  alone  can  heal 
its  hurts,  and  bind  up  its  social  wrongs  with  thy 
peace." 

All  through  his  prayer  there  floated  the  vision  of 
the  world  that  went  its  careless  way,  heedless  of  the 
passion  of  the  Son  of  God ;  but  a  eong  went  with  the 
vision,  and  its  recurrent  refrain  was  one  of  hope  and 
final  victory. 

When  he  went  home  he  meant  to  keep  the  incident 
from  llildred,  but  the  cut  on  his  lips  continued  to 
bleed  und  he  told  her  everything. 

Sne  was  deeply  agitated.  Since  their  marriage, 
Mildred  Roaaey  had  grown  to  believe  in  her  great 
stroag  hustiand  with  more  and  better  faith.  Their 
married  life  iiad  contained  elements  of  pain.  The 
estraiigemeiit  ,he  had  suffered  in  the  break  between 
her  uiother  an-:  herself  had  left  its  mark  upon  her  in 
sprte  of  all  her  effort.  Some  of  the  things  her  hus- 
bHBd  had  done  since  hi«  entrance  on  the  public  life  she 
tried  to  ...art  with  him,  Imd  not  seemed  to  her  always 


A  PERSONAL  ENCOUNTER  177 

the  best  and  wisest ;  but  not  for  one  instant  had  she 
doubted  his  ability,  his  power,  or  his  unswcl^ing 
fidehty  to  his  convictions.  Every  event  in  his  career 
added  to  her  passionate  devotion  to  him.  The  world 
for  her  had  no  other  love  equal  to  the  one  she  embodied 
in  him.  Sh.  dressed  his  wound,  and  cried  over  him  u 
little  as  she  hstened  to  his  story. 

"  This  is  something  no  one  need  know  except  Har- 
vey and  ourselves.  It  is  nothing.  He  will  be  sorry, 
and,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  will  say  so.  Let  it  all  work 
out." 

Yet  not  even  Stanton,  strong  in  the  boundless 
affection  of  his  wife,  and  sanguine  of  the  future, 
anticipated  Harvey's  return  into  the  old  circle  of 
friendship  which  had  been  so  suddenly  broken. 

The  next  evening  was  Friday,  and  Stanton  went 
down  to  the  meeting,  feeling  that  it  had  reached  a 
onsis.     And  truly  never  had  Lenox  witnessed  such 
manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  presence  in  the 
world.     The  old  Rink  was  packed  to  its  utmost  limits. 
The  sense  of  a  physical  silence  was  so  vivid  that  those 
who  were  present  confessed  the  next  dav  that   the 
experience  was  absolutely  new.     Vet  what  less  than 
this  should  the  Christian  expect  .p     The  supernatural 
presence  is  definitely  promised  by  the  Son  of  God  to 
his  disciples.     It  is  the  sham,  of  Christendom  that  it 
continues  to  be  so  ignorant  of  this  power  after  twenty 
centuries  of  the  fact.     And  thousands  are  as  much 
surpnsed  and  awed  at  the  fact  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
power  as  the  scientists  who  find  radium,  or  the  world 


Jlii 


-iPl 


ii. 


1       I 


m 


178      THE   HEART   OF   THE  WORLD 

that  thrills  over  a  new-found  element,  which  has  always 
been  in  existence,  but  has  only  within  a  few  months 
been  found  out. 

Hundreds  of  men  remained  that  night  to  confess 
Jesus  Christ  as  Master.  Stanton  worked  with  them, 
emotion  strong  within  him ;  but  he  was  not  hysterical 
or  foolishly  excited.  All  his  senses  responded  with 
alert,  sane,  well-poised  eagerness  as  he  thanked  God 
for  answer  tr  his  prayers.  He  had  longed  to  see  such 
a  day.  The  results  were  what  he  had  always  believed 
were  necessary  to  the  establishment  of  any  real  Broth- 
erhood. 

The  next  evening  there  was  no  meeting  at  the  Rink. 
Saturday  night  had  been  reserved  for  rest.  Sunday 
Stanton  was  to  preach  by  invitation  in  his  old  pulpit. 
Dr.  Sayers  was  out  of  the  city,  and  the  pulpit  supply 
committee  had  urgently  asked  Stanton  to  take  his 
place. 


»l::iix 


XVI 

THE    MIRACLE 

THE  invitation  had  moved  Stanton,  and  touched 
him  deeply.  He  knew  well  enough  that  in  Saint 
Cecilia  there  was  a  strong  and  powerful  opposi- 
tion to  his  <  onvictions  on  the  social  question.  But  on 
the  other  hand,  even  in  that  centre  of  eccleciastical 
formality  and  Christless  Christianity,  there  were  souls 
that  were  trying  to  find  the  light.  He  could  name  a 
few  prominent  business  men  who  were  honestly  dis- 
turbed over  their  duties  and  responsibilities  towards 
the  men  they  employed.  There  was  also  a  large 
group  of  young  people  in  Saint  Cecilia  with  whom 
Stanton  had  always  been  familiar  and  popular. 
They  had  always  regretted  his  resignation,  and  some 
of  them,  like  the  young  collegian  Arthur  Harwood, 
had  imbibed  Stanton's  theories. 

As  he  rose  to  preach  that  Sunday  morning  he  was 
touched  at  the  sight  of  the  great  audience,  where  even 
the  faces  of  those  who  opposed  him  seemed  to  look 
kindly  at  him.  Wrightam  was  there,  much  to  Stan- 
ton's surprise.  Wrightam  belonged  to  another 
church,  and  Stanton  did  not  remember  ever  seeing 
him  in  Saint  Cecelia  before. 

The  remarkable  meetings  at  the  Rink  had  made  an 
impression  on  aU  Lenox.     Even  Saint  Cecilia  had 

170 


lU 


180      THE   HE.\RT   OF   THE  WOULD 


4 


shared  in  the  inter'^st  and  the  results  of  thut  d  it- 
pouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  Sainton's  hcurt 
longed  for  n  manifestation  of  that  power  -wilii  the 
other  end  of  society.  Why  should  the  Gospel  be 
preached  in  revivals  to  the  masses,  the  workiii^im>n, 
the  crowds  of  poor  and  outu  ardly  depraved  and  sin- 
ful, and  there  be  no  revival  >trvices  i'or  the  silk-  and 
satin-clothed,  for  the  people  that  wore  diamonds  and 
lived  in  marble-faced  houses  and  rode  iii  aut()ni()))iles 
and  yachts  and  kept  several  servants?  Did  they  not 
need  revivals  as  much  as  any  mill  operative  or  saloon- 
keeper or  gambler  or  fallen  woman?  Did  not  J.  B. 
Wrightam,  the  magnate,  who  broke  the  Golden  Rule 
in  business  every  day  of  his  life,  need  to  be  converted 
just  -he  same  as  Johnny  Parr,  the  Lenox  gambler, 
who  had  fleeced  the  young  men  of  Lenox  off  and 
on  for  twenty  years?  What  was  the  difference? 
W^rightam  was  a  captain  of  industry,  who  manipu- 
lated commercial  enterprises  in  such  a  way  that  half 
the  stock  in  the  concerns  was  '.vntered,  and  when  the 
slump  came,  Wrightam  and  his  few  friends  on  the 
inside  of  the  deal  pocketed  the  immense  profits  while 
the  smaller  concerns  went  bankrupt,  and  individuals 
were  ruined  by  the  hundred;  Parr  played  cards  and 
roulette  and  faro  with  his  victims,  and  by  manipulat- 
ing the  gambhng  macliines  so  as  to  make  the  machines 
win  in  the  long  run,  pocketed  the  profits.  The  only 
difference  between  the  robbery  of  Wrightam's  gamb- 
ling and  Pair's  was  simply  this:  Wrightrtji  had  more 
capital,  and  his  hold-up  of  the  public  was  on  a  la   ^er. 


MMI 


THE    MIRACLE 


181 


more  sppctacular  scale.  In  other  words,  he  stole  more 
from  the  public  than  Parr  did.  Was  that  the  reason 
Parr  was  not  admitted  to  the  respectable  church  and 
society  circles  and  Wrightam  was.?  Yet  on  the  unques- 
tioned witness  of  those  who  knew  the  dishonest  and 
brazen  robbery  of  some  of  our  well-known  captains  of 
industry  in  America  to-day,  these  conunercial  gam- 
blers have  been  guilty  of  theft  on  such  large  scale 
that,  according  to  President  Iladley  of  Yale,  there  is 
need  to-day  of  a  social  boycott  of  grafters  in  high 
places.  President  Iladley,  in  his  strictures  on  the 
high-class  guniblcr  and  pirate  in  coirim"riial  circles, 
calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  Dante's  Inferno  the 
worst  punishment  falls  upon  those  people  who  use 
positions  of  power  and  trust  to  make  money  for  them- 
selves. 

All  those  thoughts  mingled  in  Stanton's  mind  as  he 
preached  that  morning.  And  his  message  was 
Christ's  message  to  men  of  wealth  and  responsibility. 
Taking  the  life  of  Ilarwood  for  his  text,  he  related 
as  much  as  was  public  of  the  man's  strange  experi- 
ence, and  gave  a  graphic  picture  of  his  life  as  an 
operative  in  Lenox  lower  mill.  He  then  went  on  to 
speak  of  the  possibilities  that  Mie  present  situation  in 
Lenox  otfered  to  both  Labor  and  Capital  to  come 
together  on  a  basis  of  brotiierly  love. 

"  The  Holy  Spirit  is  here  in  Lenox  to-day,  as  truly 
as  he  was  in  Jerusalem  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  He 
has  reached  by  his  marvelous  power  hundred-  of  men 
who  work  with  their  hands  in  the  mills.     What  of  tlie 


MICROCOPY   RESOiUTION   TEST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


1.0 


1^ 

150 


1^3 


2.8 

|40 


1 2.5 
2.2 

2.0 
1.8 


A  APPLIED  IM/^GE 

^^^  1653  East  Main   Street 

S^S  Rochester,   Ne«  York        14609       USA 

'-gS  (716)    48?  -  030n  -  Phone 

^=  (716)   2P8  -  5989  -Fox 


i ' 


^  ■'  k 


182   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

men  who  direct  the  labor?  What  of  the  men  and 
women  of  wealth  and  social  position  who,  if  they  will 
only  let  God  use  them,  can  now  moot  these  forces  of 
Labor  and  remove  the  causes  of  strife  and  hatred  that 
now  exist?  The  spirit  pleads  with  you,  rich,  cultured 
men  and  women  of  Lenox  to-day.  It  is  not  my  voice 
you  hear.  I  am  but  a  poor  and  insignificant  voice 
trying  to  make  his  message  to  you  clear.  Within 
this  church  society  are  over  a  hundred  men  and  women 
whose  combined  wealth  is  easily  reckoned  to  be  over 
fifty  millions  of  dollars.  This  is  God's  money.  It 
does  not  belong  to  you.  IMany  of  you  are  spending  it 
in  ways  that  are  not  pleasing  to  the  owner  of  it.  You 
are  wasting  it  in  foolish  amusements,  in  useless  luxu- 
ries and — I  say  it  in  love — in  sinful  extravagances. 
God  calls  on  you  here  to-day  to  lay  these  riches  in  con- 
secrated offerings  at  his  feet.  As  in  the  first  days  of 
the  history  of  the  Christian  Church,  so  now  the  test  of 
your  Christian  discipleship  consists  in  the  proof  you 
give  to  Christ  of  following  Him  in  everything,  of 
giving  to  God  in  service  all  that  you  have." 

Stanton  went  on,  and  in  the  plainest  language 
spared  not.  He  talked  out  the  plain  truth  concerning 
the  sins  of  that  great,  fashionable  church,  of  which 
he  confessed  he  had  once  been  the  cowardly  pastor. 
He  called  commercial  dishonesty  by  its  right  name. 
He  pleaded  with  the  people  to  confess  their  sins  of 
pride  and  self-indulgence  and  haughtiness  and  lack 
of  brotherly  love.  In  the  tenderest  and  most  winsome 
manner  he  referred  to  the  loving  relations  that  he  had 


||; 


^^^-^^W^m 


THE    MIRACLE 


183 


once  sustained  to  the  church,  and  closed  his  sermon  by 
referring  again  to  Ilarwood,  wliO  was  never  so  liappy, 
so  useful,  or  so  truly  great  as  when  he  gave  his  own 
life  to  save  another. 

Men  and  women  all  over  the  churrh  that  day  hid 
their  faces,  not  daring  to  K  ik  up,  moved  and  angered 
and  stirred  to  conviction.  No  one  of  the  pastors  of 
Saint  Cecilia  since  its  founding  had  ever  preached 
that  message  to  it.  Stanton  in  his  closing  prayer 
wrestled  with  God  for  results.  Would  the  Spirit 
touch  these  men  and  women  as  he  had  those  down  on 
the  Rink.'*  Would  they  permit  him  to?  Or  would 
the  pride  and  social  selfishness  of  years  drive  away 
forever  from  these  souls  the  most  blessed  experience  a 
human  being  had  ever  had  ?  Was  the  old  fact  always 
to  be  taken  account  of,  "  How  hardly  shall  they  that 
trust  in  riches  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God".'' 
Was  it  always  going  to  be  thus  true  that  not  many 
wise,  not  many  great,  not  many  noble  are  called.? 
Must  Christianity  always  work  from  the  bottom  up? 
Yet  what  hope  to  reach  any  solution  for  the  Labor 
problem  where  only  one  side  was  in  an  attitude  to  act 
in  a  brotherly  fashion  ?  If  the  men  of  muscle  and  the 
men  of  money  did  not  both  and  all  together  act  to 
help  one  another,  what  could  be  done.''  There  were 
rights  on  both  sides.  There  were  wrongs  on  both 
sides.  Capital  was  selfish.  Labor  was  selfish.  Cap- 
ital had  too  much  of  the  products  of  Labor.  Labor 
was  now  realizing  its  opportunity,  waking  up  from 
its  giant's  sleep  of  the  centuries,  and,  careless  of  its 


m 


1 '.  • 


184      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


^"1 


great  strength,  was  beginning  to  throttle  industry. 
If  Capital  had  usurped  power  that  never  belonged  to 
it,  no  less  Labor,  through  its  trade-unions,  was  arro- 
gantly  assuming  tyrannical  functions.     Each   side 
needed  to  be  converted.     No  earthly  power  could  do 
this.     Hatred,  prejudice,  selfishness  do  not  yield  to 
man-m.ide  schemes  to  bring  in  a  social  millennium. 
Right  here  God  is  needed.     No  one  else  will  answer. 
Will  these  souls  in  Saint  Cecilia,  used  to  luxury, 
priding  themselves  on  their  fashion,  will  thty  take  up 
the  rough  and  heavy  cross  of  sacrifice.?     They  will 
have  to  change  the  habits  of  years  to  do  it.     Will 
they  do  it.?       Yet  if  they  will  not,  what  hope  for 
society  that  it  may  be  filled  with  the  Brotherhood  ?     • 
The  congregation  went  away  from  that  morning 
service  as  if  from  a  deep  sensation.     It  came  back 
again  in  the  evening,  and  crowded  Saint  Cecilia  floor 
and  galleries  as  it  had  not  been  crowded  for  years. 
Members  of  Saint  Cecilia  who  had  not  been  to  the 
evening  service  for  years  were  present  that  night. 
Stanton  preached  on  the  love  of  God  for  all  his  chil- 
dren, emphasizing  the  need  of  repentance  and  restitu- 
tion as  going  hand  in  hand  with  forgiveness.     When 
the  service  closed  people  went  out  very  slowly.     He 
had  made  no  call  for  decisions,  it  had  not  seemed  best 
for  him  to  do  so.     But  as  he  went  home,  after  earnest 
greetings  from  some  of  his  former  parishioners,  he 
was  accompanied  part  way  by  a  member  of  Saint 
Cecilia  who  had  always  been  in  close  sympathy  with 
him. 


%• 


*  -» -— 


THE    MIRACLE 


185 


"  This  has  been  a  great  day  for  Saint  Cecilia,  Dr. 
Stanton." 

"  Yes,  I  hope  it  has.  My  prayer  has  been  for  real 
results." 

"  Wrightam  was  out  to  both  services.  Did  you  see 
him.''" 

"  Yes,  who  knows " 

"  It  would  be  a  miracle." 

"  But  no  more  than  the  miracle  of  Johnny  Parr's 
conversion  last  week." 

"  Yes,  greater.  Wrightam  has  more  to  repent  of. 
His  genuine  conversion  would  have  infinite  results 
on  the  Labor  question  in  Lenox.  Do  you  think  it  is 
possible  .P  " 

"All  things  are  possible  with  God,"  answered 
Stanton  gravely. 

He  parted  from  the  friend,  and  when  he  reached 
home  began  to  discuss  the  outcome  with  Mildr  d 
of  Wrightam's  possible  ccnversion  to  a  genuine 
Christian  life.  They  had  been  talking  only  a  few 
minutes,  when  a  knock  at  the  door  called  Stanton  out 
into  the  hall,  and  on  opening  the  door  he  was  as- 
tonished to  see  Harvey  standing  on  the  porch. 

"  I  don't  want  to  come  in,"  Harvey  said. 

"Why,  wife  and  I  are  alor  Come  in,  Harvey," 
Stanton  said  in  such  a  mattei  . .  -fact  tone  that  Har- 
vey, after  hesitating  a  moment,  came  in. 

His  face  was  sombre,  as  usual;  but  there  was  a 
struggling  look  of  shame  that  spoke  eloquently  of  the 
inward  feeling. 


'  ii 


Mi  # 


f'l 


,1'  , ! 


if    (  " 


186      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

Mildred  greeted  him  kindly,  and  invited  him  to  lay 
aside  his  overcoat  and  hat  and  draw  up  to  the  open 
fire. 

Without  a  word  he  complied  and  the  three  sat  down. 

"Of  course  you  understand,  Dr.  Stanton,  I  don't 
expect  to  be  forgiven  and  all  that  rot.  Even  if  you 
did  it,  which  I  don't  ask,  I  could  not  forgive  myself, 
so  that  would  leave  me  right  where  I  am  now.  But  I 
am  willing  to  do  something  to  make  myself  feel  a 
little  more  cc.fortable."  He  said  it  with  a  grim 
self-accusation  that  impressed  Stanton  painfully. 

"  It  is  not  necessary,  Brother  Harvey.  I  have  no 
feeling  of  resentment  towards  you  and  you  need 
not " 

"I  knew  what  you  would  say  of  course.  What's 
the  use?  But  I  wanted  to  let  you  know  I  was  willing 
to  do  something,  so  I  wrote  out  an  account  of  the 
incident  for  the  Lenox  Times.  I  didn't  want  you  to 
think  it  had  been  worked  up  by  some  one  else."  To 
Stanton's  astonishment,  Harvey  handed  over  the  arti- 
cle, and  added,  "Read  it  out  loud.  I  want  Mrs. 
Stanton  to  hear  it." 

Stanton  was  fearful  at  first  that  Harvey  had  been 
drinking  again.  But  looking  at  him  carefully, 
noting  the  dark  face,  the  deep-set  eyes,  the  grim 
rigidity  of  the  whole  figure,  he  was  soon  convinced 
that  Harvey  was  sober. 

"  'Last  Thursday  night  at  the  Rink,  at  the  close  of 
the  meeting,  Bruce  Harvey,  the  President  of  the 
trade-union,  had  a  disgraceful  altercation  with  Dr. 


..-fc..i»£ov,^§Si'ii 


THE   MIRACLE 


187 


Stanton.  Harvey  had  been  drinking,  and  charged 
Dr.  Stanton  with  an  attempt  to  destroy  his,  Harvey's, 
influence  over  the  mill  men  through  the  revival  serv- 
ices now  being  held  in  Lenox.  Dr.  Stanton  tried  to 
reason  with  Harvey,  but  he  refused  to  listen,  and 
finally  struck  the  minister  twice  in  the  face.  Dr. 
Stanton  did  not  return  the  blow.  The  affair  was  not 
witnessed  by  any  one  except  the  two  men.  It  was  a 
cowardly  assault,  and  deserves  the  honest  contempt 
of  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  Lenox." 

"Is  that  all  right?  Is  it  strong  enough?  I 
signed  my  name  to  it,  you  see."  Harvey  spoke  the 
words  with  a  dogged  harshness  of  manner  that  dis- 
turbed Stanton  more  than  the  most  abject  appeal  for 
mercy  could  have  done. 

"Yes,  it's  strong  enough,"  Stanton  finally  said, 
"but  it  lacks  warmth,"  and  with  the  words  he  sud- 
denly threw  the  manuscript  on  the  coals  of  the  open 
fire. 

"  It  is  not  necessary,  Harvey.  Do  you  think  I  will 
permit  a  thing  like  that?  You  do  not  know  me. 
Does  not  God  forgive  us  a  thousand  times  worse 
things  than  this?  Shall  we  men  treat  each  oth-r  less 
mercifully  ?  " 

Harvey's  face  worked  strangely.  Mildred  added 
her  word  to  that  of  her  husband. 

"  Mr.  Harvey,  you  and  Mr.  Stanton  must  be  friends 
again.  You  cannot  afford  to  quarrel.  Together  you 
-an  do  so  much  for  the  cause.  Why  not  take  Mr. 
Stanton  at  his  word  and  resume  the  old  relations  as  if 


II 


i\ 


*  .r'ijM 


I 


„  t 


188      THE   HEART   OF   THE  WORLD 

nothing  had  over  happened.     I  never  knew  a  man  wlio 

had  such  a  poor  nieinory  for  injuries  as  my  husband. 

You  should  see  some  of  the  letters  of  abuse  he  gets 

and  hear  his  answers  to  them.     His  replies  are  always 

so  friendly  that  I  have  often  wished  I  might  be  present 

when  the  letters  are  received  by  the  people  who  poured 

out  pages  of  abuse.     How  silly  they  must  feel  to  sit 

there  expecting  to  get  blown  up  and  instead  of  that  it 

is  a  bouquet  thrown  at  them.     It  is  fun  to  do  that. 

There  is  nothing  Mr.  Stanton  or  I  would  appreciate 

more  than  a  good  forgettcry  on  your  part,  and  you 

need  not  fear  for  ours." 

Harvey  listened  with  head  cast  down,  visibly 
affected.  At  last  he  blurted  out,  "But  while  this 
may  be  all  right  for  you,  where  do  I  escape?  God 
might  forgive  a  man,  but  what  if  tne  man  cannot 
forgive  himself ?  Curse  the  drink!  It  makes  me  a 
fool  every  time  I  touch  it." 

"  Leave  it  alone  then,"  Stanton  said  sternly.  "  But 
all  that's  past,  Harvey.  Bury  it.  We  expect  to. 
Think  of  Harwood.  In  Christ's  name,  Brother  Har- 
vey, I  beseech  of  you  let  God  into  your  soul.  Get 
the  blessing  you  need.  Don't  despise  the  Spirit." 
Harvey  was  agitated. 

"  I  can't  ever  be  a  Christian.  My  whole  life  habits 
are  contrary  to  the  idea.  Don't  try  to  convert  me. 
I'll— I'll  count  it  an  undeserved  honor  if  you  two 
will  permit  me  to  call  you  friends,  but  as  for  the 
other " 

Stanton  eyed  him  racily,  and  without  many  words 


THE    MIRACLE 


189 


allowed  him  to  go  on  giving  his  version  of  the  events 
that  had  led  up  to  his  assault  on  Stanton.  When 
he  was  through  he  rose  to  go,  but  when  Stanton  held 
out  his  hand  Harvey  held  back. 

"  Try  me  for  a  while,"  he  said  doggedly. 

"Mr.  Harvey,"  said  Mildred  spiritedly,  "you  do 
not  treat  us  fairly.  Give  us  credit  for  honesty  at 
least.     We  are  not  willing  to  wait." 

"  All  right,"  Harvey  answered  as  if  relieved.  He 
shook  hands  with  them  both,  and  went  away  leaving 
behind  an  impression  that,  while  he  was  willing  to 
re-open  the  friendship  of  the  past,  he  was  hardening 
his  heart  against  the  Holy  Spirit  md  trying  to  fortify 
his  mind  with  every  known  excuse  for  not  yielding  to 
his  gentle  but  firm  summons  to  put  Jesus  Christ  on  the 
throne  of  his  life  as  Lord. 

He  had  been  gone  only  a  fev  minutes,  and  Stanton 
was  beginning  to  lock  up  below  preparatory  to  going 
upstairs,  when  the  bell  ranp         n' 

Stanton  opened  the  door,  i.>  confronted  by  the 
oldest  son  of  J.  B.  Wrigh  young  man  about 

twenty  years  of  age.     He  had  evidently  been  run- 
ning, for  he  spoke  with  difficulty. 

"  Father  wants  to  know  if  you  can  come  over  and 
see  him." 

"Yes,  certainly.     When.?" 

«  Now,  right  ofF,  Dr.  Stanton." 

"Is  your  father  ill?"  asked  Stanton,  as  he  hur- 
riedly put  on  his  coat. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  young  Wrightam. 


Hi 


I 


,( ■   f 


190      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

Stanton  was  surprised  at  his  answer,  but  said  noth- 
ing. He  stepped  into  the  sitting-room  and  told 
Mildred  where  he  wns  going.  At  once  she  said,  "  Is 
it  possible  Mr.  Wrightam  has  been  touched  by  to-day's 
services,?*' 

"  With  God  all  things  are  possible,"  said  Fredrick 
Stanton  as  he  went  out.  He  recalled,  as  he  hurried 
on  through  the  darkness,  that  he  hud  said  the  same  to 
his  parishioner  concerning  Wrightam.  Was  he  to  see 
that  miracle  of  i- generation  repeated  in  the  case  of 
this  man.?  It  seemed  incredible,  but  his  heart  prayed 
for  the  event  as  he  walked  on. 


i;i 


^.  ftffLf^'^^mams^EjmmmmmmLWf^, : 


XVII 

BATTLING    FOR    A    SOUL 

WHEN  Stanton  reached  Wrightam's  resi- 
dence, the  young  man  took  him  at  once  to 
his  father's  "  den,"  and  then  hurriedly  went 
into  the  library  as  if  afraid  of  being  called  in  to 
witness  a  scene  he  dreaded. 

As  Stanton  stepped  into  the  room  he  thought  at 
first  that  no  one  was  there.  There  was  only  one 
elect  "ic  light  burning  instead  of  a  large  cluster,  and 
Wrightam  was  sitting  In  the  far  corner  of  the  room. 

He  did  not  move  until  Stantcn  had  advanced  into 
the  corner  of  the  room.  Then  he  got  up,  turning  a 
face  toward  his  visitor — a  face  that  had  one  predomi- 
nant mark,  the  tiark  of  fear. 

He  held  out  hi.  hand. 

"  I  am  glad  you  came,  Dr.  Stanton,"  he  sai^  hur- 
riedly. And  then,  after  an  awkward  moment, :  "ud- 
denly  went  to  the  door,  and  shut  and  locked  it.  ,  hen 
he  faced  Stanton  again  he  asked  him  to  be  seated,  but 
himself  walked  up  and  down  with  growing  agitation. 

"  Dr.  Stanton,  you  will  not  understand  me.  But  I 
sent  for  you  because  I  am  afraid." 

"Afraid!     Of  what?" 

"  That  is  something  I  do  not  know.  But  all  the 
evening  I  have  been  oppressed.     I  never  had  a  premo- 

191 


I 


^wm""-  ~  ^*j-sw.^»M  -^ 


'£'t^M'3.'^ 


Ih 


I 


192      THE   HEART  OF   THE   WORLD 

nition  in  all  my  life.     It  is  the  farthest   from  my 

iimke-up  to  have  fears  for  tlic  future.     But  I  cannot 

shake  off  tiiis  feeling.     And  I  sent  for  you  to  sec  if 
you  could  help  me." 

Stfinton,  in  growing  astonishment,  looked  intently 
at  the  man.     Some  strange  experience  had  taken  pos- 
session of  him.     There  was  the  same  heavy,  coarse 
physical    outward   bearing    that    had    always   distin- 
guished J.  B.  Wrightam.     He  was  a  college-educated 
man ;  but     certain  grain  of  vulgar  crudeness,  a  harsh 
fibre  of  personality  had  clung  to  him  in  spite  of  the 
culture  of  the  schools.     Nothing  but  the  grace  of 
Almighty  God  could  soften  this  coarseness,  and  up  to 
this  time  in  his  life  J.  B.  Wrightam  was  absolutely 
without  this  grace.     He  was  as  much  a  pagan  as  any 
man  that  ever  lived  in  any  age.     And  Stanton,  sitting 
there  that  night  in  that  luxurious  room,  witnessing 
some  remarkable  conflict  in  this  man's  soul,  was,  in 
spite  of  his  faith,  startled  at  the  growin.fr  transforma- 
tion in  this  captain  of  industry,  this  commercial  high- 
wayman, a  nominal  church  member  and  social  aristo- 
crat, who  knew  absolutely  nothing  of  the  Christ  rule 
^f  life,  and  so  far  had  been  a  selfish,  proud,  worldly 
man,  existing  solely  for  riches  and  power  and  pleasure. 

"  Dr.  Stanton,  I  am  not  prepared  to  die  and  meet 
my  God.     Do  you  believe  in  a  final  judgment." " 

"  I  do.     I  believe  not  only  in  a  final  judgment,  but 
in  a  day-by-day  judgment." 

Wrightam  stopped  in  his  walk. 

"It  is  the  final  judgment  I  fear.     What  is  this  I 


z:^'k^ia 


BATTLING    FOR    A    SOIL 


19a 


am  expcrin.'-inK?     <"»"  you  ttll  i,u?"     Tlio  question 
came  us  if  forced  from  Jiim  hy  some  inward  terror. 

"Is  it  conviction,  or  only  fear  of  piim'sliment 
caused  by  some  unexpected  entrance  of  thoii^rht  of 
the  future  into  n  guilty  life?"  Stnnt(m  asked  himself. 
When  he  spoke,  it  w.is  with  more  caution  than  kind- 
ness; for  he  was  very  much  in  the  dark  as  to 
Wrightam's  condition. 

"  Can  you  give  me  the  cause  of  this  feeling.'  Have 
you  any  date  for  its  beginning.'" 

After  a  moment's  hesitation,  VVrightam  said,  "i 
think  it  dates  from  your  preach irjg  this  morning." 

"And  you  say  the  predonunant  feeling  you  now 
have  is  fear.' " 

"  A  fceh'ng  of  terror.  I  cannot  sleep.  I  have  been 
thinking  all  day  of  Harvood.  He  dictl  doing  his 
duty  as  he  saw  it.  I  cannot  die  tliat  way  or  any 
other."  ^ 

Stanton  determined  to  go  at  the  root  of  the  matter 
and  be  frankly  plain  of  speech. 

"Mr.  VVrightam,  are  you  afraid  to  die,  as  you  say, 
because  of  the  selfish,  Godless  life  you  have  lived,  or 
simply  because  you  fear  punishment  from  an  anery 
God.?"  ^^ 

VVrightam  stopped  again  in  his  walk  and  his  face 
flamed  up  for  a  moment  with  passion.  It  would  have 
been  no  gr«  at  surprise  to  Stanton  then  if  the  man  had 
struck  him  or  ordered  him  out  of  the  house.  But  a 
sort  of  convulsion  shook  him,  and  he  answered  Stan- 
ton's question  by  asking  him  one. 


i 

ill 


III 


! 


k*Jz\ 


^Zi^Mmm2^^!M: 


Mr 

.      ri. 


194      THE   HEART   OF   THE  WORLD 


>«  t 


"Have  you  ever  felt  helpless  in  the  presence  of 
some  impending  danger?  Helpless  as  a  child 
in  the  grasp  of  a  giant?  Then  you  know  how  I 
feel." 

He  resumed  his  walk,  and  Stanton  persisted  in  his 
query. 

"  But  do  you  feel  convicted  of  guilt  ?  Is  your  pres- 
ent feeling  prompted  by  a  knowledge  of  God  as  a 
punisher  of  sin  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  Wrightam  answered,  as  If  in  de- 
spair. "  I  know  that  I  fear  with  unspeakable  dread 
the  thought  of  death." 

Stanton  was  silent,  thinking  hard.  He  had  never 
Tvot  a  case  like  this,  and  he  kept  praying,  as  he 
watched  Wrightam,  that  wisdom  might  be  given  him 
to  say  the  right  word,  to  do  the  right  thing. 

"Mr.  Wrightam,  would  you  be  afraid  to  die  if 
you  knew  you  had  always  tried  to  do  the  will  of 
Go^9" 

'  1  don't  know.  I  only  kno\>  the  fact  of  my  pres- 
ent fear." 

"  Do  you  believe  God  is  love?  " 

Wrightam  did  not  seem  to  hear,  and  Stanton  asked 
the  question  again. 

"I  don't  know.  What  do  I  know  about  God?" 
He  turned  towards  Stanton  fiercely.  "  Curse  you ! " 
he  exclaimed  suddenly.  "  It  is  all  your  doing.  What 
do  I  care  for  your  social  gospel?  It  is  all  rot. 
Leave  me  alone.  What  shall  J.  B.  Wrightam  have 
to  do  with  your  theories  of  a  Brotherhood?     It  is  all 


BATTLING   FOR   A    SOUL 


195 


intangible,  preposterous,  impossible.  Do  you  hear? 
Get  out  of  my  house,  you  miserable  meddler  with 
things  that  don't  concern  you!"  He  shook  his  fist 
in  Stanton's  face,  and  every  mean  demon  of  hate  and 
felfisliness  and  past  riot  of  evil  ambitions,  and,  above 
all,  of  gold-thirst  and  greed,  struggled  up  through 
the  soul  to  battle  for  their  own  in  the  presence  of  the 
Christ  of  God,  the  Holy  One,  who  had  como  up  to  the 
tombs  to  unchain  this  maniac  and  set  him  free  and 
clothed  in  his  right  mind. 

Something  of  this  great  truth  gleamed  instantly  on 
the  soul  of  Stanton  as  Wrightam  confronted  him. 
Under  the  strong  emotion  of  the  scene,  he  had  risen 
from  his  seat  and  ;aken  a  step  towards  the  door.  He 
knew  Wrightam  would  not  offer  him  any  personal 
violence,  but  he  was  still  doubtful  as  to  the  extent  of 
conviction  that  he  struggled  to  smoulder. 

"  You  sent  for  me.     Why  ?  " 

"I  don't  know!  I  fear!  O  my  God!  The  fear! 
Dr.  Stanton !  Pardon  me !  Do  not  leave  me  alone ! 
Pray  for  me!  Do  something!  I  am  not  ready  to 
die!" 

Stanton  grasped  at  that  one  word,  ''  Pray ! "  He 
kneeled.  And  his  prayer  was  based  on  a  simple, 
childlike  faith  in  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
He  did  not  know  that  Wrightam  had  gone  over  by  the 
window  and  was  crouching  down  on  the  wide  window 
seat,  a  remarkably  strange  figure  as  compared  with 
lus  usual  bold,  aggressive,  assumptive  manner. 

But  when  the  prayer  was  over  and  Stanton  had 


196      THE   HEART   OF   THE  WORLD 


^\'i  j 


,^ 


^ik. 


I 


M 


it* 


risen,  the  sight  of  Wrightam,  silent  and  immovable, 
struck  him  as  a  new  phase  of  an  extraordinary  even- 
ing's experience. 

He  waited  for  the  magnate  to  speak,  but  Wrightam 
was  dumb.  Then  Stanton  spoke  again,  gently,  but 
Wrightam  still  kept  the  same  attitude.  What  was 
passing  in  his  soul.'  Some  infinite  struggle  was  being 
waged  between  the  unequal  forces  of  right  and  wrong, 
between  demons  and  angels,  between  the  devil  and  the 
Son  of  God.  What  battleground  more  historic,  more 
terrific  in  its  charge  and  countercharge,  more  tragic 
in  its  defeats,  more  glorious  in  its  victories !  A  soul 
that  for  forty-five  years  had  allowed  hell's  sullen,  but 
exultant  spirits  to  camp  on  God's  holy  ground  could 
not,  without  a  rebellion  that  partook  of  downright 
revolution,  dethrone  the  usurping  forces  and  put  the 
rightful  Prince  in  his  own  place.  Stanton,  awed  at 
the  sight,  in  spite  of  the  marvels  of  regeneration  he 
had  witnessed  in  the  mill  men,  felt  as  if  the  sccn*^  were 
almost  too  sacredly  personal  to  view.  He  spoke  to 
Wrightam  again;  getting  no  answer,  he  walked 
toward  the  door,  saying  to  himself,  "  I  will  leave  him 
alone  with  God  to  fight  out  the  battle."  At  the  door, 
as  he  turned  the  key  in  the  lock,  he  said  aloud,  "  I  am 
going.  Brother  Wrightam.     If  you  need  me,  send  for 


me. 


Still  no  word  or  sign  that  Wrightam  was  conscious 
of  Stanton's  presence.  He  did  not  move  or  turn  his 
head.  Stanton  went  out  into  the  hall,  shutting  the 
door  of  the  "den,"  and  as  he  was  going  out  of  the 


m. 


BATTLING   FOR   A    SOUL 


197 


house,  Wriglitam's  wife  came  downstairs  and  stopped 
at  the  foot  of  them.  With  a  gesture  slie  beckoned 
Stanton  to  wait.  The  sight  of  tliis  woman  reminded 
Stanton  with  a  shock  of  what  was  in  store  for 
Wrightam  in  case  his  soul  was  won  in  the  battle  now 
being  desperately  waged  only  a  (ew  feet  away. 

Mrs.  Wrightam  was  a  beautiful  woman,  magnifi- 
cently decorated,  or  disfigured,  according  as  you  have 
been  brought  up  to  regard  it,  with  expensive  jewelry. 
Her  whole  attitude  was  one  of  superiority  as  a  member 
of  that  most  select  inner  circle  of  the  most  fashionable 
Lenox  society,  that  revolved  in  a  constant  succession 
of  parties,  receptions,  dinners,  theatres,  fads,  dress 
parade,  a  surface  knowledge  of  books  and  events,  a 
little  religious  observance  in  morocco-covered  prayer 
books  during  Lent,  and  a  total  disregard  of  all  Chris- 
tian teaching  on   the  subject  of  humility,  sacrifice, 
true  prayer  service,  and  the  giving  of  one's  self  for 
the  redemption  of  the  world.     What  were  the  Lenox 
mills  to  the  wife  and  daughter  of  J.  B.  Wrightam.'* 
Nothing,  absolutely  nothing  but  a  source  of  revenue 
to  the  Wrightam  family  and  its  need  of  luxuries.     Aa 
to  the  men  and  women  who  worked  there,  who  lived  in 
the  tenements,  who  were  at  the  centre  of  the  indus- 
trial whirlpool  that  sucked  them  in   and  out,  Mrs. 
Wrightam  had  no  thought  except  that  of  a  turbulent 
M'ass  that  fouglit  her  husband's  interests,  and  might 
possibly    endanger   his    financial   profits.     Can    you 
imagine  a  creature,  gifted  with  wonderful  physical 
graces,  clothed  with  garments  that  were  representative 


I! 


>     ■    i 


IJ 


■  i 


■«l 

mi 

i 

I 

1     'i 

'1.      §  i'> 

'  ■;  \ 

■1 

! 

\\ 


198      THE  HEART   OF   THE  WORLD 

of  a  whole  year's  salary  of  hundreds  of  honest  public 
servants,  goino-  through  a  world  filled  with  God's 
need,  and  absolutely  having  no  higher  or  larger 
thought  of  life  every  day  than  how  she  might  increase 
her  social  standing  as  the  leader  of  the  most  haught}', 
exclusive  and  wealthy  section  of  Lenox  society  ?  This 
was  J.  B.  Wrightam's  wife.  She  had  been  divorced 
from  her  first  husband  on  account  of  incompatibility 
of  temper,  and  she  had  married  the  mill  magnate,  so 
society  said,  on  account  of  his  great  wealth.  Her 
two  children  were  at  home  with  her,  Alfred,  the  young 
man  who  had  summoned  Stanton  that  night,  and 
Eileen,  the  daughter,  two  years  younger. 

"Dr.  Stanton.     Is  Mr.  Wrightam  ill— or ?" 


she  said,  pointing  towards  the  door  of  tiic-  "  den." 

"  I  think  not.     He  is "  Stanton  was  uncertain 

what  to  say.  How  should  this  woman  be  made  to 
understand  what  was  happening  to  her  husband.? 

"What  is  the  matter  with  him?  I  have  not  seen 
him  all  day.  He  did  not  come  in  to  dinner.  I  am 
going  to  see  what  is  the  matter." 

She  took  a  step  towards  the  door.  Stanton  spoke 
quietly.  "  I  do  not  think  Mr.  Wrightam  ought  to  be 
disturbed,  madam.  Excuse  me,  but  I  know  some- 
thing of  the  situation,  of  the  experience  Mr. 
Wrightam  is  having — and " 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir.?"  the  woman  spoke 
sharply.  "  Situation !  Experience !  What  do  you 
mean .? " 

"  I  mean,  madam,  that  Mr.  Wrightam  is  passing 


BATTLING   FOR   A    SOUL 


199 


through  a  religious  crisis  in  his  life,  and  it  would  be 
wise  to  leave  him  alone  just  now." 

She  paused  an  instant  as  she  stood  in  the  centre  of 
the  hallway,  her  tall  figure  gleaming  under  the  lights. 

"  Religious  crisis  ! " 

She  laughed,  as  if  the  thought  gave  her  some  amuse- 
ment. "  Religious  crisis  !  I  think  you  are  mistaken, 
sir.  J.  B.  have  a  religious  crisis !  It  would  be  a 
miracle ! " 

'  It  is  a  miracle,  madam,"  Stanton  said,  looking  at 
her  steadily.  "  In  that  room  to-night  your  husband 
is  confronting  superhuman  powers.  He  is  waging 
the  soul-battle  of  the  ages.  It  is  my  prayer  that  God 
will  win  for  him,  as  I  believe  he  will." 

She  looked  back  at  Stanton,  and  then,  without 
speaking,  laughed  again,  and  moved  towards  the  door. 
At  that  instant,  Eileen  came  down  the  stairs,  and  see- 
ing her  mother  and  Dr.  Stanton,  paused  on  the  last 
otep. 

"Where  is  father.'"  she  inquired,  suppressing  a 
yawn. 

"  He  is  in  the  *  den,'  and  I  am  going  in  to  see  what 
is  the  matter,"  her  mother  answered.  "  Mr.  Stanton, 
you  are  interfering  where  you  have  no  right,"  she 
exclaimed  haughtily.  "  I  shall  do  as  I  please  in  this 
matter.  What  you  have  said  is  simply  absurd. 
Eileen,  Mr.  Stanton  sa^'s  Mr.  W  rightam  is  passing 
through  a  religious  experience !  I  believe  he  is 
excited  over  these  vulgar  revival  meetings,  and  possi- 
bly worried  over  the  effect  of  them  on  the  men." 


I! 
'    rll 


f 


'! 


tli 


Jli 


200      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Madam,"  said  Stanton,  remaining  where  he  first 
stood  when  Mrs.  Wrightam  came  downstairs,  "  I  have 
no  authority  in  this  house.  But  I  most  sincerely 
believe  tliat  if  you  go  in  there  now,  you  will  be  guilty 
of  an  intrusion  so  great  that  the  result  of  it  may  not 
be  measured  by  eternity.  There  are  some  experiences 
in  a  man's  life  so  sacred  that  not  even  his  most  inti- 
mate relatives  have  a  light  to  witness  them." 

He  spoke  so  earnestly,  withal  in  so  calm  and  digni- 
fied a  manner,  that  even  the  woman  she  was,  she  felt 
impressed.  Still,  her  purpose  was  unchanged,  and, 
after  an  instant  of  indecision,  she  stepped  again 
towards  the  door.  At  that  moment  Alfred  came  into 
the  hall,  out  of  the  library,  which  adjoined 
Wrightam's  "den." 

"Mother,"  he  said  hurriedly,  "what's  the  matter 
with  father.?  I  thought  a  moment  ago  I  heard  him 
groan.  Mr.  Stanton,"  he  continued,  seeing  the  min- 
ister for  the  first  time,  "  what  is  the  matter  with " 

"  I  am  going  in  to  see,"  Mrs.  Wrightam  exclaimed, 
and  her  hand  was  on  the  knob,  when  the  door  was 
opened  by  her  husband. 


Ml 


«"'^ 


XVIII 

THE    NEW    MAN 

THE  look  on  . '/rightam's  face  was  one  Stanton 
will  never  forget.     The  fear  was  gone.     In  the 
place  of  it  was  a  look  of  redemption  that  made 
Stanton's  heart  leap  up. 

Mrs.  Wrightam  had  stepped  back  when  the  door 
opened  so  suddenly.  Next  instant  she  cried  out, 
"John,  what  is  the  matter?  Why  have  you  shut 
yourself  up  so  all  day.?" 

He  did  not  appear  to  see  her  or  to  hear  her  Quietly 
he  spoke  to  Stanton,  "  Will  you  come  back  'n  here,  Dr. 
Stanton.?"  Then  he  seemed  suddenly  to  be  conscious 
of  the  presence  of  his  wife. 

"Amy,  I  wish  to  be  with  Dr.  Stanton  a  few 
moments.     I  am  not  ill.     I  will " 

He  looked  at  his  wife  with  an  expression  she  had 
never  seen  in  his  face  before,  and  the  next  moment  he 
had  gently  drawn  Stanton  into  the  room  and  shut 
the  door. 

Mrs.  Wrightam  paused  a  moment,  as  if  minded  to 
disregard  her  husband's  wishes;  but  finally  she  turned 
and  beckoned  Eileen  and  Alfred  to  go  upstairs  with 
her. 

"  Your  father  is  not  himself,"  she  said  to  Eileen,  as 
they  entered  the  upstairs  drawing-room.     "I  fully 

201 


h 


i- J 


I 


!V   I 


11 


«02      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

agree  with  Mrs.  Rodney,  that  Dr.  Stanton  is  a 
dangerous  man.  If  J.  B.  should  once  get  led  away 
by  his  socialistic  theories " 

"But  there's  no  danger  of  that,  mother,"  Eileen 
replied  in  astonishment. 

"I  don't  know  what  to  think  of  J.  B.'s  conduct 
to-day,"  Mrs.  Wrightam  said  petulantly.  "Of 
course,  I  don't  believe  your  father  will  e'.er  do  any- 
thing so  foolish.  Let  me  know,  Alfred,  the  minute 
Mr.  Stanton  goes  out." 

She  went  into  her  room,  and  Eileen  and  Alfred  con- 
tinued to  discuss  the  conduct  of  their  father,  and  give 
some  reason  for  it. 

Yet  not  even  their  most  extravagant  imagination 
for  one  moment  approached  the  wonderful  truth. 
J.  B.  Wrightam,  the  modern  captain  of  industry,  the 
trust  promoter,  the  fii.dncial  magnate,  the  commer- 
cial highwaymen,  who  gambled  in  millions  as  other 
men  gambled  in  hundreds,  had  been  bom  again  and 
was  a  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  Carpenter  of 
Nazareth  had  measured  power  again  with  the  demon- 
iac, and  Wrightam  was  sitting  clothed  and  in  his  right 
mind.  He  had  come  to  himself,  and  for  the  first 
time  since  his  prodigal  riot  and  beggary  among  the 
swine  he  said,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father." 

As  the  door  had  closed  behind  them,  Stanton,  realiz- 
ing even  through  the  mystery  of  it  what  had  occurred, 
grasped  Wrightam's  hand. 

"  Thank  God,  Brother  Wrightam !  '* 

"I  can  scarcely  realize,  Mr.  Stanton,  what  has 


THE    NEW   MAN 


«03 


happened.  But  of  one  thing  I  am  certain.  From  ^his 
time  forth  Jesus  Christ  is  my  Muster.  Oh,  Brother 
Stanton,  tell  me  what  I  must  do.  Show  me  how  to 
make  my  discipleship  known ! " 

It  was  the  old  cry  of  Paul  repeated,  twenty  cen- 
turies later — "Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?" 
It  was  the  martyr  cry  of  the  ages,  longing  to  make 
restitution  in  evidence  of  its  honest  faith. 

"There  is  much  to  say  on  that  point.  Brother 
VVrightam.  Do  you  realize  yet  what  it  means  to  be  a 
Christian .' " 

"  I  suppose  not.  One  thing,  however,  is  very  clear 
to  me,  as  I  said.  If  Christ  is  my  Master,  my  future 
cannot  be  anything  like  my  past.  All  things  have 
become  new." 

Stanton  looked  at  him  as  one  might  look  at  a  man 
who  had  suddenly  walked  out  of  a  grave  where  he  had 
been  buried  forty-five  years. 

"Of  course,  you  understand  the  Christian  life 
means " 

"Confession,"  interrupted  Wrightam  promptly. 
"  Public  confession.  I  am  all  ready  to  make  it.  Brother 
Stanton,"  he  spoke  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  the  first 
Stanton  had  ever  seen  there.  "  No  one  can  understand 
the  joy  it  will  be  to  me  to  confess  my  Lord." 

"  Your  family " 

Across  Wrightam's  face  a  look  of  great  and 
wonderful  emotion  passed. 

"I  must  tell  my  wife  and  children.  But  how  can 
they  understand -" 


'ii 

!  'I 

I. 


If 


l,:rt 


ill 


204      THE   HEART  OF  THE   WOULD 

For  just  an  instant  the  old  look  of  fear  was  on  his 
face,  then  it  was  succeeded  by  the  divine  peace,  that 
knows  no  fear. 

"  Of  course,  your  business,  the  other  members  of  the 
mill  company,  the  men,  the —    -'♦ 

"  It  will  nil  have  to  be  changed,  it  cannot  go  on,  the 
old  hfcs  the  old  practices.  The  whole  of  it  n.ust  be 
made  new." 

"Do  you  comprehend,  Brother  VVrightam,  how  dif- 
ficult It  will  be  for  you  to  readjust  your  busines3  rela- 
tions with  the  other  men  who  are  still  unchristian? 
Are  you  ready  to  face " 

"I  am  ready  to  face  anything  for  my  Saviour," 
said  Wrightam,  like  a  child. 

For  a  moment  Stanton  did  not  venture  to  break  the 
silence. 

Wrightam  got  up  and  began  to  pace  the  room. 
"This  is  a  wonderful  thing  that  nas  happened  to 
me,  Stanton.     I  don't  cheat  my-lf  by  thinking  it  is 
.ypnotism  or  anything  of  that  sort.     I  had  an  ex- 
perience m  here  while  you  were  out  of  the  room  that  I 
can't  relate  even  to  you.     It  was  real,  and  it  was  sane 
and  It  was  true.     But  it  was  supernatural.     I  saw  all 
my  past  life,  in  all  its  hideous,  unrelieved  selfishness. 
It  had  not  one  redeeming  quality.     It  was  ghastly  in 
Its  paganism.     As  I  cowered  under  it,  I  seemed  to  be 
lowered  into  a  perfect  hell  of  condemnation.     A  fear 
seized  me,  so  great  that  what  I  felt  when  you  came  in 
first  was  nothing  in  comparison.     For  a  few  moments 
I  su/Tered  all  the  tortures  of  hell.    I  believe  if  any  one 


A4     — 


THE    NEW    MAN 


205 


had  entered  the  room  during  tlioso  moments,  oven  you 
or  my  wife,  I  would  have  tried  to  shake  off  tlifit 
horror,  nnd  in  my  madness  have  driven  the  Spirit  of 
God  forever  out  of  my  soid.  But  w  hen  those  moments 
passed,  I  was  permitted,  by  the  graee  of  God,  to  see 
eternal  forgiveness  in  the  i'ucv  of  Christ."  The  tears 
rolled  over  W  ightam's  coarse  face,  glorified  now  by 
his  unearthly  cxperiince.  "What  I  saw  I  cannot  de- 
scribe, not  even  *.o  you.  Brother  Stanton,  but  I  shall 
never  forget  it.  The  most  distinct,  real,  joyful  ex- 
perience of  my  entire  life  was  that  moment  when  the 
Son  of  God  said  to  me,  '  Vour  sins  are  forgiven.'  It 
has  seemed  to  me  th-it  I  have  been  ilcne  for  several 
days.    What  is  the  time.''  " 

He  suddenly  took  out  his  watch.  Stanton  mechani- 
cally took  out  his,  also. 

"Only  half-past  eleven!  Do  you  believe  in 
miracles .' " 

"  I  believe  in  the  miracle  of  regeneration,"  said 
Stanton  softlj'. 

"  It  is  wonderful !  wonderful !  My  Jesus,  I  love 
thee,  I  know  thou  arl  mine,"  Wrightam  mur- 
mured. 

The  old  hymn  was  the  last  one  sung  in  Saint  Cecilia 
that  evening.  To  hear  W' rightam  repeat  the  words, 
to  see  the  love-light  of  the  crucified  Son  of  God  in  his 
greed-hardened  eyes,  was  like  viewing  tiic  unseen  glory 
of  the  dying  robber  on  the  Cross. 

Wrightam  continued  his  walk  for  a  few  moments. 
Then  he  came  up  close  to  Stanton  and  said    gently, 


ill 

i  j 
1^1 


I 


;    '! 


«06      THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

"  Before  you  go,  pray  for  mc.     I  shall  need  all  the 
strength  I  can  get  for  this  new  life." 

The  two  kneeled.  Stanton's  voice  faltered  in  the 
first  sentence,  then  went  on,  strong  and  joyful.  As 
he  prayed,  the  very  air  seemed  pulsing  with  the  divine 
presence;  the  Holy  Spirit  pervc  led  the  room,  and 
Stanton  knew  that  VVrightani  was  conscious  of  that 
eternal  fact  with  him.  The  knowledge  charged  his 
petition  and  framed  hi  .peal  for  the  new  life  that 
now  kneeled  beside  him. 

When    he    finished,    before    he    had    time   to   ask 
Wrightam  to  pray   also,   the   converted  mill  owner 
began  in  a  broken,  but  utterly  childlike  prayer,  that 
brought  sobs  to  Stanton's  breast,  and  drove  away  the 
last  faint  lingering  doubt  lest  the  regeneration  of 
Wrightam  might  be  fictitious.    No  unsaved  man  i-ould 
have  prayed  like  that.    The  physical  and  mental  diffi- 
culty in  the  way  of  such  a  iiinn  as  Wrightam  offering 
a  prayer  was  something  tremendous.     But,  that  was 
nothing  by  the  side  of  the  spiritual  lack,  which  such 
R.  man  as  Wrightam  had  always  knrwn.     The  very 
sound  of  his  simple,  beseeching,  halting,  but  truthful 
petition  for  God's  lielp,  toi.ciied  Stanton  more  than  he 
had  been  touched  in  the  case  of  Johnny  Parr,  the 
gambler.     The  two  cases  were  not  alike,  excep!  in  the 
similar  work  of  reconstruction  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  wrought  in  the  trto  men. 

In  the  pause  after  Wrightam's  prayer,  again  that 
pervasive,  subtle,  but  strong  and  exhilarating  reality 
of  the  r>i\'ine  presence  thrilled  them.     How  strange, 


#/>  -^ 


THE    NEW    MAN 


SOT 


that,  in  a  world  which  has  scon  this  miracle  so  often 
performed,  men  are  still  skeptical  of  the  fact  of  the 
loving  and  living  God !  How  sad,  that,  after  the  day 
of  Pentecost  has  been  recorded  in  human  liistory,  the 
Christian  Church  should  be  content  with  outward 
forms  and  ceremonies,  miss  the  glory  of  llie  super- 
natural, and  shut  its  eyes  lo  the  vision  of  that  light 
that  never  was  on  sea  or  land! 

The  two  rose  to  their  feet  and  faced  each 
other.  Stanton's  hand  went  out  lovingly  to  rest  on 
Wrightam's  shoulder.  Wrightam's  words  came  with 
difficulty. 

"I  owe  you  everything.  You  have  helped  me  to 
the  Cross.  Men  do  not  thank  one  another  for  such 
a  thing  as  this.  I  have  been  a  very  sinful  man. 
How  sinful  only  God  knows.  But  I  don't  doubt  his 
forgiveness.  Before  him,  Stanton,  I  want  the  rest 
of  my  life  to  be  a  witness  for  restitution  and  repent- 
ance, even  if  it  brings  me  to  the  Cross  on  which  my 
Saviour  died.  Pray  for  me,  won't  you?  I  cannot 
meet  it  alone." 

Stanton  promised,  moved  to  the  depths  by  the  great 
event,  and  went  out  into  the  hall.  As  he  opened  the 
front  door,  he  saw  Mrs.  Wrightam  coming  down  the 
stairs  again.  He  waited  a  moment,  thinking  she  had 
spoken  his  name,  but  she  did  not  even  look  at  him  as 
she  came  slowly  down  the  stairs.  Eileen  and  Alfred 
were  behind  their  mother,  also  coming  down  with  her, 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  their  father.  Stanton's 
glimpse  of  the  three  compelled  a  vision  of  their  inter- 


■   \ 


' 


mm 


B 

1 

-■  : 

<   ■ 

.,  : 

^11 

Iff 

fii 


208 


THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


view  with  Wrightam,  and  the  dramatic  outcome  of 
that  scene  fascinated  his  imagination  all  the  way 
home. 

The  first  words  Mildred  uttered  were,  "Is  it  true? 
Has  Mr.  Wrightam  really  been  converted?" 

"  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  believe  he  has,  Mildred. 
But  has  any  one  told  you?" 

"  No,  Fredrick.  But  all  the  time  you  have  been 
gone  it  has  seemed  to  mc  that  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  so  real  it  filled  all  Lenox.  What  a 
wonderful  event!  What  will  be  the  result  of  Mr. 
Wrightam's  conversion?" 

"I  don't  believe  any  one  can  tell.  If  he  is  really  a 
Christian,  as  I  believe  he  is,  the  fact  may  change  the 
entire  history  of  Lenox.  Meanwhile,  he  has  a  tremen- 
dous cross  to  carry  in  the  effort  he  will  make  to 
explain  his  change  of  life  to  his  wife  and  children,  and 
readjust  his  business  relations  and  put  them  on  a 
Christian  oasis." 

"Oh,  Fredric':,  will  he  do  that?  Do  you  really 
think  ae  will  succeed  in  making  Mrs.  Wrightam, 
Eileen  and  Alfred  understand  his  new  life?  Mother 
used  to  know  Mrs.  Wrightam  when  she  was  Mrs. 
Lynde.  I  have  heard  mother  say  that  her  divorce  was 
altogether  wicked.  This  is  a  great  deal  for  mother  to 
say.  But  how  will  such  a  woman  ever  understand  or 
accept  the  change  in  Mr.  Wrightam's  life?  I  can 
hardly  believe  that  such  a  change  has  taken  place. 
Are  you  sure  of  tlie  fact?" 

"  I  believe  there  is  no  question  as  to  the  fact.     It  is 


'I  I 


THE  NEW  MAN 


209 


1 


one  of  the  miracles  of  tlie  ages.  It  has  occurred  to 
reveal  to  this  sinful  city  the  superhuman  life.  The 
raising  of  Lazarus  was  not  a  greater  revelation  of 
God's  power  than  the  change  that  has  taken  place  in 
this  Mammon  worshiper." 

When  Mrs.  Wrightam  entered  the  "den"  that 
night  she  was  angry  with  several  people.  She  was 
angry  with  her  husband,  because  of  his  unexplained 
absence  and  his  church  attendance  that  day.  She 
was  angry  at  Stanton,  because  of  his  part  in  the 
revival  meetings  among  the  mill  men,  sm\  his  possible 
influence  over  Wrightam.  She  was  angry  at  Alfred, 
her  son,  for  disobeying  her  command  not  to  go  to  Dr. 
Stanton's  that  evening,  at  his  father's  request.  At 
the  bottom  of  her  resentment  at  the  Stantons  rankled 
a  bitterness  towards  Mrs.  Rodney,  who  had  never  for- 
given hcj  scandal  of  divorce  and  never  accepted  her 
leadership  of  Lenox  society. 

She  came  into  the  room  with  her  head  up,  her  chil- 
dren silently  following.  Wrightam  was  standing  in 
the  middle  of  the  room.  The  exaltation  of  the  vision 
he  had  experienced  penaded  his  whole  person;  the 
love-light  of  the  crucified  Son  of  God  was  still  in  his 
eyes. 

"  J.  B.,  what  is  the  matter.?  Why  have  you  been 
with  Mr.  Stanton  all  this  time.?  What  have  you  been 
doing?     You  have  neglected  me  shamefully ! " 

Wrightam  put  out  his  hand,  and  placed  it  on  his 
wife's  shoulder.  I  think  the  man  really  loved  his 
wife  a  little.     At  any  rate,  he  had  been  proud  of  her 


i'si 


I 


11  i 


rf   \ 


210      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

good  looks,  and  he  adorned  her  per.  i  as  he  might 
have  decorated  a  favorite  horse. 

"Amy,"  he  said  gently,  "I  wonder  if  you  can 
understand  I  am  a  Christian.  I  am  a  new  man  in 
Christ." 

"A  Christian!"  The  simple,  sudden  announce- 
ment affected  her  strangely.  Her  face  flushed 
angrily,  and  she  stepped  back. 

"Do  you  mean  that  this  socialist,  anarchist 
preacher   has  deluded  you  with  his  quack  religi.:>u.?" 

"  It  means.  Amy,  that  I  am  no  longer  the  same.  I 
am  a  different  man.  The  whole  world  is  changed  to 
me."  He  continued  looking  over  her  head  as  she 
confronted  him  erect,  exasperated,  astonished,  rapidly 
forecasting  the  effect  on  her  future.  Wrightam 
suddenly  began  to  sing : 

"My  Jesus,  I  love  thee, 
I  know  thou  art  mine. 
For  thee  all  the  follies 
Of  sin  I  resign; 
My  gracious  Redeemer, 
My  Saviour  art  thou. 
If  ever  I  loved  thee. 
My  Jesus,  'tis  now." 

She  listened  as  a  tigress  might  -'sten  to  a  mother 
singing  an  evening  lullaby  to  her  babe. 

" Leave  the  room  Eileen,  Alfred!"  she  stamped  her 
foot  as  she  spoke.  "  I  want  to  talk  to  your  father 
alone ! "  The  children  went  out  overwhelmed  by  what 
they  had  heard.  Mrs.  Wrightam  turned  to  face  her 
husband,  and  he,  as  if  for  the  first  time  fully  con- 


.'!    a  * 


THE   NEW   MAN  jjn 

sclous  of  the  family  crisis  that  confronted  him, 
returned  her  look  as  she  stood  there  alert,  profoundly 
angered,  the  jewels  he  had  given  her  gleaming  at 
her  throat  and  on  her  fingers,  the  incarnation  of  the 
world  m  its  lust  for  the  pleasures  that  pass  away 
before  the  breath  of  the  eternal  God, 


i?,-<ii.-tf?f 


XIX 


1 

-  ■    ''  ■ 

;, 

i. 

I* 

■ 

i 

.  ( 


|ii" 

IM 

-i 

HIS    CROSS 

THE  moment  the  door  had  shut  behind  Alfred 
and  Eileen,  Mrs.  Wrightam  exclaimed. 

"  I  suppose  one  of  the  '  follies  of  sin  *  you  are 
going  to  resign  is  your  wife.  She  will  hardly  be 
good  enough  for  you  now." 

"Amy,"  her  husband  went  nearer  to  her.  He 
spoke  earnestly,  but  calmly.  His  whole  attitude  was 
that  of  appeal.  "You  do  not  understand.  My 
entire  purpose  in  life  is  changed.  But  I  never  had 
a  greater  longing  to  be  true  to  those  I  love.  I  have 
lived  a  very  sinful  life.  We  have  both  been  d?epl^ 
guilty." 

"  Speak  for  yourself,  J.  B. ! "  She  uttered  the  words 
contemptuously.  She  was  enraged  at  the  unexpected 
event.  She  saw,  in  her  shrewdness,  the  crumbling  of 
her  social  fabric  so  painfully  erected.  For  this  divine 
interruption,  this  astounding  transformation  of  her 
husband,  she  had  nothing  but  hatred,  so  far  as  she 
understood  it.  Wrightam  walked  to  the  end  of  the 
room,  and  came  back  again. 

"Amy,  I  do  not  deceive  myself,  and  I  cannot 
deceive  you  in  the  matter.  The  change  wrought  in 
me  by  the  grace  of  God  will  compel  me  to  change 
almost  every  habit  of  my  life." 

212 


HIS    CROSS 


813 


"What  do  you  mean?"  She  turned  upon  him 
savagely,  anticipating  to  some  extent  his  answer. 

"My  business  affairs.  I  have,  as  an  individual 
and  as  a  member  of  a  corporation,  repeatedly  broken 
the  law  of  the  State  and  of  God's  higher  Kingdom. 
I  cannot  do  this  an}'  longer." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  will  retire  from  the  busi- 
ness of  the  mills?"  she  asked  sharply.  During  this 
interview  her  whole  physical  appearance  had  seemed 
to  age  before  his  eyes.  The  lines  of  her  face  had 
hardened,  the  beauty  of  her  features  had  taken  on  a 
look  of  repulsion.  Or  was  it  because  he  now  saw  her 
for  the  first  tin  ,    is  she  really  was? 

"  I  shall  rotirr  from  it  if  I  find  1  cannot  change  its 
methods.  Plainly,  Amy,  all  these  years  I  have  been 
a  gambler,  a  thief  and  a  worshiper  of  Mammon.  The 
fact  that  I  have  held  place  in  society,  and  have  been 
allowed  to  go  my  ways  outside  of  the  penitentiary, 
does  not  alter  the  fact  that  I  have  been  guilty,  on  a 
stupendous  scale,  of  wickedness  which  has  resulted  in 
conviction  and  imprisonment  for  scores  of  men  who 
have  robbed  the  people  of  smaller  amounts.  In  the 
sight  of  God  I  am  guilty.     I  cannot  continue  this 

sort  of  life.     If  to  change  it  means " 

"  If  it  means  the  giving  up  of  all  the  things  worth 
having,  do  you  mean  to  follow  that  course?"  his 
wife  almost  shrieked  in  her  anger.  Her  shrewd 
forecast  was  not  far  from  the  knowledge  of  the 
facts. 

"  If  it  means  the  giving  up  of  anything  that  h*  s 


« 


I  il 


; 


w 

mtjKiai 

i 

- ')  i     i 

*\ 

-I  '   1 

' 

' '     < 

;           * 

■      ^ 

J  . 

'  1 

■    •  1 

■  V 

■  '              \ 

'i: 

1 

'"  1 

u 

1 

'iU 


214      THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

broken  God's  laws  and  hindered  tlic  growth  of  His 
Kingdom,  I  am  ready  to  give  it  up." 

"  But  I  am  not !  You  arc  reckoning  without  me ! 
Do  you  imagine  I  intend  to  let  go  my  social  ambitions, 
to  adopt  a  life  of  sentimental  fanaticism,  to  take  up 
with  a  foolish,  dangerous  anarchism  like  Mr.  Stanton 
teaches,  to  lase  my  hold  on  the  things  I  ncod  for  my 
life,  all  on  account  of  a  mistaken  religious  excite- 
ment.? Do  you  think  I  will  accept  such  a  dreary 
programme  of  existence  ?  I  will  not,  for  one  moment. 
I  will  not  live  such  a  life,  and  I  will  not  accept  the 
terms  of  such  a  union ! " 

"Amy,  what  do  you  mean?" 
"  I  mean,  J.  B.,  that  I  will  leave  you  rather  than 
live  the  life  you  propose.     I  will  not,  and  cannot, 
endure  such  an  existence  as  I  foresee.     My  whole  life 
depends  on  the  possession  of  moi    y  and  social  power. 
I  will  not  forego  them  for  any  dream  of  men  like  Mr. 
Stanton  or  Bruce  Har^-cy,     J.  B.,  this  is  an  illusion 
you  are  under.     These  meetings  are  exciting.     You 
have  in   some  way   come  under  the  spell  of  them. 
Shake  it  off.     Are  you  J.  B.  Wrightam,  the  great 
captain  of  industry,  the  man  who  holds  Lenox  finances 
in  his  hands,  the  daring  leader  of  great  enterprises 
which  have  astonished  the  industrial  world,  or  are  you 
a  poor,  fanatical  convert  to  a  sentiment  which  v.as 
never  intended  for  a  practical  world;  a  weak,  useless 
theoretical  vision  of  a  dreamer  who  lived  centuries 
ago " 

"Amy,   I   cannot   listen    to   that.     You   must   be 


HIS    CROSS 


215 


silent."     He  spoke  in  strcps  of  agony  for  her  and 
himself.     She  had  come  close  to  him,  and  her  appeal, 
while  pagan  in  its  coarse,  brutal  confession  of  her 
paganism,   had   nevertheless   shaken   him.     She   had 
possessed  a  certain  fascination  for  him.     The  vision 
he  now  had  of  his  future  was  that  of  a  narrow  way, 
at  the  ending  of  which  stood  n  large  black  cross.     The 
few   significant   words   his   wife  had   uttered   about 
leaving  him  threw  up  at  once  the  veil  before  a  future, 
disgraced  by  social  scandal   which  now,  under  the 
finer  impulses  that  moved  him,  was  simply  torture. 
The  social  and  business  revolution  he  was  contemplat- 
ing was  nothing  short  of  stupendous  in  its  effects  on 
all  the  surroundings  of  his  existence,  as  it  involved 
with  him  his  family,  his  business  associates  and  his 
acquaintances.     The  woman  who  now  faced  him,  his 
children  who  were  wondering  at  this  experience  of 
their  father,  were  the  products  of  such  a  false  and 
selfish  social  environment  as  he  had  helped  to  create. 
What  else  could  come  out  of  it  except  what  did  come  ? 
There  was  no  anger  in  his  heart  towards  this  woman. 
A  deep-growing  pity  was  moving  him.     Nevertheless, 
he  saw  everything  now  in  its  true  light.     And  at  the 
heart  of  it  all  was  his  Divine  Lord,  who  beckoned  him 
calmly  to  follow  Him.     "  If  any  man  will  not  deny 
himself  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me,  he  cannot 
be  my  disciple."     The  words  kept  repeating  them- 
selves in  a  rhythmic  refrain  while  his  wife  was  talking. 
"  Amy,  you  know  not  what  you  say.     This  dreamer 
of  twenty  centuries  ago  is  the  one  great  Person  in  my 


II 


ki 


'it 


)  li' 


=  11 


Sir 


T  I  t 


fill 


11 

1 

, 

n » 

[L '   - 

. ..-  '  - 

fc 

M 

^■■'^ 

1 

i,-. 

216   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

life  at  tills  moment.     I  believe  in  Him  as  I  believe  in 
no  other  being  on  earth.     I  would  die  for  Him  with 
joy.     I  will  do  what  He  tells  me  to.     His  commands 
are  first.     My  duty  to  you  is  plain.     You  are  my 
wife,  and  by  the  sacred  law  of  our  union  now,  even 
though  we  committed  sin  to  be  husband  and  wife,  I 
am  bound  to  provide,  to  protect,  to  care  for  you. 
All  that  a  man  can  do  towards  that  I  am  ready  to  do 
in  every  honest  way.     But  I  will  not,  and  cannot, 
deceive  you.  Amy.     I  cannot,  as  a  disciple  of  Christ, 
continue  to  make  money  or  maintain  a  social  position 
at  the  expense  of  my  conscience.     I  will  no  longer 
be  a  party,  silent  or  otherwise,  to  the  unchristian 
practices  of  which  I  have  been  guilty  in  the  commer- 
cial world.     Rather  than  do  that,  I  will  go  to  work 
myself  in  the  mills,  as  Harwood  did,  as  an  honest 
laborer  at  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  day.  How  else  shall  I 
become  a  witness  for  my  Saviour.?  In  what  other  way 
can  I  prove  to  the  world  the  truth  of  my  new  life.?" 
She  listened  with  eyes  that  contracted  with  impotent 
anger.     She  drew  herself  up,  and  the  jewels  flashed 
on  her  arms  and  about  her  throat.     There  was  a  beau- 
tiful wristlet  of  opals  that  Wrightam  had  given  her 
when  they  were  married.     She  raised  her  arm  and 
deliberately  unclasped  this  circle  of  gems,  and  in  her 
madness  threw  it  with  all  her  might  on  the  floor. 
The  opals  broke  from  their  delicate  gold  settings, 
and  rolled  over  the  polished  surface.     One  of  them 
fell  near  her  foot.     She  set  her  heel  upon  it.     The 
soul  of  the  woman  was  towering  up  with  satanic  fury. 


HIS  CROSS 


217 


"I  will  po  my  own  way!  I  give  you  warning, 
J.  B.  Wrightani!  Vou  cannot  impose  such  a  life 
on  me !  You  are  not  my  lord  and  master !  I  renounce 
any  such  union  with  any  such  fanaticism.  I  refuse 
to  ruin  my  hajjpiness  by  any  such  madness!" 

For  a  moment  Wrightani  faced  her,  white-lipped 
but  calm;  sorrow,  pity,  anguish,  suffering,  tugging 
at  his  heart.  She  then  turned  away  and  walked  out 
of  the  room.  When  she  was  gone,  he  stood  still  for 
a  minute.  Then  he  walked  over  to  the  window-seat. 
He  sat  down  and  buried  his  head  in  his  hands.  Tears 
rolled  over  his  face,  but  from  his  lips  softly  there 
came  the  words  of  the  old  Gospel  hymn :  "  If  ever  I 
loved  Thee,  my  Jesus,  'tis  now." 

The  night  passed  on,  and  he  remained  in  the  room 
until  daybreak.  It  seemed  to  him  that,  in  a  very 
peculiar  sense,  the  room  had  been  consecrated  by  the 
wonderful  experience  he  had  known  there.  In  that 
room,  with  his  business  friends,  many  times  during 
the  past  years  he  had  worked  out  those  bold,  shrewd 
schemes  which  had  given  him  the  name  of  a  great 
captain  of  industry.  The  very  walls  had  been  wit- 
nesses to  commercial  fraud  on  such  a  stupendous  scale 
that  the  general  public  could  not  dream  of  their  extent 
and  character.  But  henceforth  this  "den"  would 
always  remind  him  of  his  first  meeting  with  his  real 
Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  the  Master  of  earth  and  the  hope 
of  the  world.  Do  you  not  think  that  when  Paul 
returned  to  Jerusalem  from  Damascus,  he  jemem- 
bered  that  spot  in  the  highway  where  Jesus  spoke  to 


m 


«18      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

him,  "Saul,  Saul,  why  persccutest  thou  mc?"  We 
can  imagine  the  new-born  apostle  falling  on  his  knees 
in  the  dust  of  the  road,  and  with  streaming  eyes, 
returning  thanks  that  the  vision  of  eternal  life  was 
granted  to  his  soul  at  that  spot. 

Even  so,  Wrightani,  as  he  kept  his  vigil  there, 
watching  with  his  Lord,  bearing  the  cross  of  his  new 
relationship  to  his  wife  and  family,  was  upborne  by 
his  vision  of  the  Divine  which  the  room  had  witnessed. 
It  was  holy  ground  and  would  be  historic  to  him 
henceforth. 

Neither  his  wife,  Alfred  nor  Eileen  appeared  at 
the  breakfast-table.  He  ate  his  meal  in  silence,  alone, 
and  then  went  back  into  the  "  den." 

He  tore  the  slip  off  his  desk  calendar,  as  he  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  doing,  but  instead  of  throwing  it 
into  the  basket,  he  folded  it  carefully,  and  put  it  in  a 
small  card-case.  As  he  did  so  he  noted  that  he  had 
marked  ahead  on  the  calendar  an  important  directors' 
meeting  for  that  very  date.  It  was  the  election  of  offi- 
cers, and  a  very  important  meeting  in  many  other  ways. 
It  meant  the  organization  of  a  new  combination  of 
Capital  against  Labor.  As  the  largest  shareholder 
in  the  mills  and  in  the  First  Bank  of  Lenox,  Wrightam 
was  secure  in  his  position  as  the  head  of  the  combine. 
The  election  of  directors  was  a  form,  and  had  been 
for  years  past,  with  no  other  result  anticipated  except 
that  of  the  giving  to  Wrightam  supreme  control  over 
the  business.  Harwood's  death  had  removed  the  only 
man  who  had  at  any  time  rivaled  Wrightam  as  a 


i  '      ■! 


HIS    CROSS 


219 


trust  leader.  If  a  singU-  iiulividuul  over  could  be 
said  to  own  a  town,  that  could  be  said  of  J.  B. 
Wrightam,  in  regard  to  Lenox.  He  had  been,  up 
to  this  morning,  its  financial  autocrat,  dictating  its 
largest  industr, ,  shaping  its  financial  policy,  and 
reaping  the  overwhelming  financial  gain  for  himself. 

As  he  prepared  to  go  down  to  this  meeting,  his 
mind,  clear,  and  to  his  own  great  satisfaction,  calm 
and  even  joyful,  called  into  view  the  different  mem- 
bers of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  mills  and  the 
bank. 

There  was  Cummings,  the  Vice-President,  shrewd, 
cold,  a  polished  man  of  the  world,  a  member  of  Saint 
Cecilia,  and  one  of  the  bitter  opponents  of  Stanton 
and  his  ideas. 

There  was  Rollins,  a  local  merchant,  proprietor  of 
a  great  depaitment  store,  long-headed,  with  energy 
and  push,  always  adding  some  new  feature  to  his 
business. 

There  was  Judge  Rodney,  able  and  convincing,  a 
lawyer  of  great  repute  and  the  best-read  man  in 
Lenox. 

There  was  Fleming,  a  capitalist,  who  had  made  his 
money  in  selling  South  African  war  supplies,  who 
owned  the  most  expensive  house  in  Lenox,  and  whose 
wife  was  a  personal  friend  of  Mrs.  Wrightam. 

There  was  Collins,  another  capitalist,  who  had  been 
Wrightam's  lieutenant  or  go-between  in  the  various 
deah  which  the  magnate  had  brought  to  a  successful 
finish  for  himself. 


m 

M 


i 


-      ■   li    . 

Ml 


i 


X«0      THE   HEART  OF  THE   WOJILD 

There  wns  Dtinind,  n  silent,  uncomiimnicativo  man, 
who,  it  wns  said,  had  made  a  fortuiK-  by  manipulating 
copper  stocks  and  ruilrund  shares. 

As  he  thought  over  the  personality  of  these  nioney- 
niakors,  Wrightani  could  not  think  of  one  of  them, 
with  the  exception  of  Judge  Ilochiiy,  who  would  prob- 
ably understand  his  chang,-  of  attitude  in  regard  to 
financial  matters.  To  most  of  these  men  it  was  the 
meat  and  drink  of  their  existence  to  make  money,  i's 
the  first  business  of  their  lives.  To  make  it  in  any 
w-iv  that  would  not  land  them  in  jail  was  considend 
by  them  to  be  legitimate.  Even  if  in  the  doing  oi 
tliis,  other  men  were  ruined,  even  if  no  actual  service 
was  rendered  society,  even  if  the  profits  that  came  to 
them  were  possible  on  account  of  watering  the  stock 
and  deceiving  the  public  by  representations  of  fic- 
titious values  that  never  had  any  existence  except  on 
paper,  even  thus  these  men,  almost  to  an  individual, 
were  absorbed  in  the  mad  chase  for  wealth. 

Was  not  J.  B.  Wrightam  their  great  example.'' 
Was  it  not  the  ambition  of  every  young  man  in  Lenox 
to  reach  J.  B.  Wrightam's  pedestal  as  a  captain  of 
industry?  Had  not  one  of  the  leading  magazines 
printed  a  spirited  biography  of  J.  B.  Wrightam  only 
a  few  weeks  ago,  and  pointed  him  out  to  the  youth  of 
the  land  as  an  example  of  what  could  be  done  by 
shrewdness,  attention  to  details,  and  a  rare  combina- 
tion of  coolness,  mental  alertness  and  dogged  per- 
sistence.? Wrightam  had  at  the  time,  with  almost 
childish   egotism,   boiiol.t   u   large   number  of   these 


■<  >-■'  a 


'»4 


Mm 


HIS    CROSS 


221 


magftzinps,  nmrkod  the  article  niul  stiit  it  to  his  !)usi- 
ness  ucMjimintunc'fs.  He  hud  cut  out  the  magazine's 
picture  of  himself  and  hung  it  up  at  his  dvtk  at 
tlie  bank. 

When  VVrightnm  entered  the  directors'  room  nt  the 
bank  it  was  eight  niinntts  to  ten.  'J'hc  board  was  n 
punctual  body*  and  almough  none  of  the  members  had 
yet  come  in,  Wrightam  knew  that  before  the  hour 
struck  they  would  nearly  all  be  seated  about  the  long, 
polislicd  table.  He  passed  through  into  his  own 
private  office  and  slui*^  he  door,  sat  down  at  his 
desk  and  put  his  head  down  on  it,  praying  for 
strength  and  peace.  The  wonder  of  his  new  life  had 
not  diminished.  If  anything,  the  exaltation  of  his 
vivid  sense  of  relation  to  Christ  was  deeper  than 
it  had  been  the  evening  before;  and,  in  addition  to 
that,  he  felt  an  increase  of  joy,  a  vivid,  but  calm, 
ass/Kince  of  divine  companionslr  <  and  support. 

Ho  opened  his  door  and  went  out  into  tlie  directors' 
room,  taking  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  table,  as 
usual.  It  was  one  minute  of  the  hour  and  all  the 
directors  were  present  but  Durand.  As  the  clock 
struck  he  entered  quietly,  and  with  a  slight  smile,  as 
if  complimenting  himself  on  the  fact  that  he  had  not 
lost  any  valuable  time,  and  had  saved  the  five-dollar 
fine  for  being  late,  he  took  his  seat. 

Wrightam  got  up  as  soon  as  the  hour  had  struck. 
His  look  around  the  table  was  significant.  Not  a  man 
there  failed  to  notice  something  unusual. 


■ 


-^C 


Ijlil 
(HI'  ■ 


m 


In; 

f :  r  ^ 

* 
1     ■ 

.  i 

ii 

H 

THE   PARTIKG   OF  THE   WAYS 


W 


'E  are  met,  gentlemen,  for  the  annual  elec- 
tion of  officers,  and  the  transaction  of 
other  important  business.  Before  any- 
thing else  is  done,  however,  I  ask  you  to  listen  to  a 
personal  statement  I  must  make." 

Every  face  around  that  long,  polished  table  stared 
at  the  President  of  the  First  Bank  of  Lenox  with  a 
deepening  interest  that  grew  in  intensity  with  every 
second.  Wrightam  leaned  over  a  little  and  placed 
one  large,  heavy  hand  on  the  table.  His  face  was  the 
calmest  in  the  room  as  he  went  on. 

"  This  is  the  first  occasion  I  have  had  to  make  a 
pubhc  confession  of  an  experience  I  have  no  right  to 
keep  to  myself.  Yesterday,  to  be  exact,  last  night, 
I  had  a  religious  experience  which  has  changed  the 
course  of  my  entire  life.  I  have  become  a  Christian 
disciple,  and  I  want  you  all  to  know  the  fact,  as  it 
will  have  the  most  important  and  practical  bearing 
on  my  action  here  to-day." 

He  paused,  and  the  men  around  that  table  con- 
tmued  to  stare  at  him  in  speechless  amazement.  The 
announcement  made  by  Wrightam  was  so  simple,  yet 
so  astounding,  that  there  was  no  effort  made  by  any 
one  to  speak.  Again  he  looked  into  the  faces  of  his 
associates. 

"  Of  course,  you  aU  know  I  have  been  a  member  of 


THE    PARTING    OF   THE    WAYS 


223 


a  church  all  these  years  and  have  passed  for  a  Chris- 
tian man.  In  reahty  I  was  never  a  Christ'>h.  -,.  ■ly 
in  name.  It  meant  nothing  to  me  as  a  fc  ce  or  a 
UfeS  To-day  I  see  all  this  as  a  new  man.  '.  hris- 
tianity  has  come  to  mean  to  me  the  greatest  anti  musl 
beautiful  thing  in  the  world.  I  have  been  a  money 
worshiper.  I  have  never  given  the  K-ngdom  of  God 
a  worthy  thought.  All  that  is  completely  changed. 
I  say  this  to  you,  because  I  believe  it  is  the  first  neces- 
sary act  of  my  Christian  life,  confession  after  belief  " 
The  silence  around  the  tabic  had  deepened.  It  \s  as 
absolute.  If  the  great  magnate  had  opened  the  meet- 
ing by  saying  that  the  First  Bank  of  Lenox  had  sus- 
pended payment  and  closed  its  doors,  there  could  not 
have  been  greater  bewilderment. 

"Gentlemen,  you  are  all  well  enough  informed  to 
know,  that  I  cannot,  under  these  conditions  that  now 
confront  me,  continue  to  do  business  on  the  basis  we 
have   been   accustomed   to.      The   representations   by 
which  we  obtained  control  of  the  plant  at  Oreville, 
for  example,  are,   from  a  Christian   point  of  view, 
absolutely  dishonest.     You  will  allow  me  to  say  that  it 
is  only  a  matter  of  a  few  months,  at  the  longest,  before 
the  public  will  be  in  possession  of  these  facts,  and 
there  nay  be  a  popular  uprising  against  us.  But  that 
is  not  dll.    It  is  only  one  item  out  of  all  the  rest.    The 
business  of  the  mills,  as  it  has  been  carried  on,  has 
involved  so  much  that  it  is  unjust  and  non-christian, 
that  it  will  be  a  moral  impossibility  for  me  to  have  a 
personal  share  in  it  unless  the  methods  are  radically 


I  1    ■'■  t" 


i« 


a 


1^ 


i    !  = 


il, 

■    ..  1  .'      1-* 

i    1 

1 

'   1 

■ui 


224-      THE    HEART   OF   THE   WORLD 

changed,  I  am  not  so  blind  to  the  facts  as  to  suppose 
the  public  can  be  kept  in  the  dark  concerning  these 
matters  much  longer.  But,  even  if  I  knew  that  our 
methods  could  be  continued  unrobukcd  indefinitely, 
under  the  present  rule  of  conduct  which  governs  me, 
I  could  not  endorse  such  methods  nor  continue  to  prac- 
tice them.  It  has  come  to  the  parting  of  the  ways 
with  me,  brothers."  It  was  the  first  time  in  his  life 
that  Wrightam  had  ever  called  these  money-makers 
by  that  term.  Now,  as  he  looked  into  their  astonished 
faces,  there  surged  into  his  hear'  a  wave  of  feeling 
for  them  such  as  Paul  had  when  i.  .  said,  "  Woe  is  me 
if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel!"  The  amazing  depth, 
reality  and  joy  of  his  conversion  could  not  have  been 
proved  more  clearly  than  by  what  new  happened. 
"  Brothers,"  he  repeated  the  word,  "  I  stand  here  be- 
fore you  to-day  a  saved  man.  I  gladly  acknowledge 
Jesus  Christ  as  my  Saviour.  I  am  ready  to  follow 
Him.  Would  to  God  all  of  you  might  know  with  me 
the  divine  joy  of  this  new  life.  Oh,  my  brothers,  what 
wonderful  things  we  might  do  for  the  Kingdom  of 
God  on  earth,  if  once  we  were  inspired  with  the  love 
of  God  and  our  brother  men !  What  miracles  of  re- 
demption of  the  business  of  the  world  we  might  behold, 
if  once  we  were  eager  to  do  the  Christlike  thing  in 
the  money-making  energy  of  our  lives.  God  be  merci- 
ful to  me !  I  count  myself  the  chief  of  sinners.  But 
God  has  snatched  my  soul  out  of  the  pit,  and  redeemed 
me  with  a  wonderful  redemption,  and  I  am  not  able 
to  hold  my  lestimony  from  you.     I  say  here  calmly, 


v^^. 


^iiliiumM..^,-^jr.. 


ik^^'-rnih. 


THE    PARTING    OF   THE    WAYS     Jj^S 

but  without  any  resenation,  that  from  this  time  forth 
I  shall,  by  the  help  of  God,  obey  his  commandments  as 
I  believe  they  ought  to  be  obeyed  in  the  money-making 
world,  I  ..  1  that  means  farewell  to  the  methods  I  have 
all  my  hfe  practiced.  I  would  count  it,  next  to  the 
unparalleled  joy  of  my  own  experience,  the  greatest 
happiness  of  my  life  if  you  would  all  walk  with  me 
along  this  highway  of  service," 

In  the  history  of  revival  movements,  it  has  been  true 
that  very  many  souls  of  the  redeemed  have  stood  up 
and  witnessed  before  the  Church  in  public  to  the  grace 
of  a  savmg  power.  But  it  is  doubtful  if  any  man  ever 
chose  a  better  place  to  witness  for  his  Lord  than 
Wrightam  chose  when  he  stood  at  the  end  of  that 
table  in  the  directors'  room  of  the  First  Bank  of 
Lenox,  and  told  those  six  men  the  facts  about  his 
discipleship. 

Durand  was  the  first  one  to  break  the  1.  ence 

that  followed.  Wrightam  had  taken  his  seai,  and  in 
the  emotion  following  his  confession,  he  had  bowed 
his  head  upon  his  hands. 

"Gentlemen,  Brother  Wrightam  has  mistaken  the 
place.  This  is  not  the  Rink,  and  one  of  Stanton's 
Gospel  services,  but,  as  I  understand  it,  a  called  meet- 
ing of  the  directors  of  the  First  Bank  of  Lenox.  I 
should  like  to  be  corrected  if  I  am  misinformed." 

There  was  another  painful  pause.  Cummings,  the 
Vice-President,  was  tracing  meaningless  figures  on  the 
letter-head  bank  paper  in  front  of  him.  He  rose  in 
his  place  nervously. 


mmm 


^^»■«I 


fji 

J    --    , 

^1 

\v. 

1  'i 


226      THE   HEART  OF   THE  WORLD 

"  I — we — perhaps  we  had  better  adjourn  this  morn- 
ing to  some  other  date — until — until  —we — until  Mr. 

Wrightam " 

"  I  move  we  adjourn  to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  Vice 
President,"  said  Cumming-s  hurriedly.  "  All  in  favor 
of  adjournment  say  aye,  all  opposed  no,  it  is  a  vote." 
Everybody  rose  except  Wrightam,  who  remained 
seated.  The  most  awkward  pause  of  all  followed,  and 
then  without  a  word  every  one  went  out  except  Cum- 
mings  and  Judge  Rodney. 

As  the  door  shut,  Cummings  savagely  struck  the 
table  with  his  open  hand. 

"  Mr.  Wrightam,  this  is  a  most  astonishing  thing 
you  have  done.  Do  you  begin  to  realize  what  a  crisis 
you  have  precipitated  into  our  plans?  Do  you,  for 
one  moment,  understand  what  all  this  wj\  mean  to  us, 
to  me,  to  the  bank,  to  the  mills,  to  our  schemes  in 
general ?  " 

Wrightam  raised  his  head. 

"I  understand,  Cummings,  something  of  what  it 
means.  I  don't  deny  it  is  a  serious  matter  for  all  of 
us.  So  far  as  I  can  receive  the  brunt  of  the  trouble 
that  will  flow  out  of  my  action  I  am  eager  to  take  it. 
If  my  withdrawal  from  the  company  under  its  pres- 
ent management  is  likely  to  cause  you  or  other  mem- 
bers loss,  I  stand  ready  to  give  up  all  I  possess  to  save 

you.    I  do  not " 

"  Do  you  mean,"  Cummings  spoke  with  a  great  ef- 
fort to  control  his  excitement,  "  Do  you  mean " 

"1  mean,  Cummings,  that  if  my  action  hereafter 


,";»      .'TTT. 


3fE 


it 


2L 


THE    PARTING    OF    THE    WAYS     227 

should  involve  jou,  for  example,  In  such  a  way  as  to 
cause  you  financial  loss,  I  will  gladly  turn  over  to  you 
and  the  rest  every  cent  I  have  in  the  world,  rather 
than  have  you  suspect  me  of  any  other  motive  than  the 
one  I  have  here  to-day  acknowledged  as  the  one  great- 
est motive  of  my  life." 

"  But  your  withdrawal  from  the  bank  and  the  mills 
mil  create  a  panic."  Judge  Rodney  spoke.  His  face 
was  very  grave.  He  had  listened  to  Wrightam's 
word,  with  eyes  fixed  on  him,  the  only  man  at  the 
table  who  really  understood,  in  some  degree,  what  it 
all  meant. 

"  It  may  be,"  Wrightam  said  slowly.    "Still,  what 
can  I  do.?     I  have  wronged  the  public  by  my  wicked 
acts.    To  set  those  acts  right,  to  restore  justice  to  its 
place  may,  for  a  brief  space,  cause  trouble  to  others. 
To  help  lessen  such  trouble  I  am  ready,  as  I  have  said, 
to  sacrifice  my  entire  fortune.     Monev !    What  is  that 
to  me  now  by  the  side  of  right !     I  am  not,  of  course, 
Ignorant  of  the  fact  that  in  all  probabilitv,  what  I  do 
now  will  precipitate  some  kind  of  a  crisis' in  the  busi- 
ness.    It  will  involve  the  men  who,  with  me,  have  all 
their  years  been  precipitating  crises  of  another  kind 
among  other  men.  The  only  difference  is  that  hereto- 
fore iLs  other  men  have  lost  and  we  have  won.    If  we 
lose  now,  it  will  be  no  more  than  we  have  inflicted  on 
the  public.    I  do  not  see  any  other  course  open  to  me." 
"  It  will  mean  much,  I  tell  you,  Wrightam ! "    Cum- 
mings  seemed  beside  himself.     He  spoke  with  great 
agitation.    "  The  minute  this  news  is  out  on  the  street, 


! 


lifiiHMiMHii 


i! 


1, 

1 

Hi 

j 

228      THE   HEART   OF  THE  WORLD 

no  man  can  tell  what  the  result  will  be.    The  Oreville 
matter  was  a  secret.    What  right  had  you  to  disclose 

that?    What  rignt,  I  say " 

The  Vice-President  was  so  near  forgetting  his  usual 
polished,  dignified  demeanor  that  Judge  Rodney  inter- 

fered.  . 

«This    talk    can    do   no    good,    :Mr.    Cummmgs. 
Plainly.  I  want  to  say,  Mr.  Wrightam's  statement 
about  the  Oreville  purchase  is  news  to  me.    I  certainly 
do  not  approve  of  it  if  I  understand  him.    As  to  other 
transactions  of  the  Board  of  Directors   m  ma  ters 
concerning  the  bank  and  the  mill,  I  call  you  both  to 
witness,  gentlemen,  I  have  more  than  once  re^stered 
mv  protest  against  certain  measures  passed  by  the 
Board  and,  you  will  pardon  me,  Wrightam,  I  have 
always  been  overruled  and  voted  down  by  your  own 
approval  of  doubtful  financial  actions."  _ 

«I  acknowledge  it.  Brother  Rodney,"  Wrightam 
said  sorrowfully.  "  It's  a  part  of  my  past  that  I  am 
now  eager  to  atone  for.  If  you  will  show  me  how  I  can 
do  it  any  other  way,  I  wish  you  would  tell  me. 

«Anv  other  way!"     Cummings  struck  his  hand 
again  on  the  table.     "  Any  other  way !    What  more 
could  a  man  do  to  deliberately  ruin  his  associates  than 
you  have  done  here  to-day?     The  mere  rumor  that 
YOU  are  to  withdraw  from  the  company  will  precipi- 
tate a  slump  in  the  price  of  Oreville  and  Lenox  mill 
stock.    Right  on  the  event  of  Harvey's  move  to  with- 
draw the  Unions  and  organize  a  co-opera  ive  stock 
company  with  mills  of  their  own,  the  result  of  this 


jtV'f^. 


THE    PARTING   OF   THE    WAYS 


2^9 


morning's  unexampled  fanaticism  will  simply  mean 
the  biggest  panic  Lenox  has  ever  known.  It  will  mean 
ruin,  ruin,  I  tell  you.  And  I,  for  one,  am  not  prepared 
to  stand  it.    Do  you  hear  me  ?  " 

"I  hear  you,"  Wrightam  announced  calmly. 
"  What  would  you  have  r  e  do.?  " 

"  Do?  Call  the  directors  back,  before  the  news  gets 
out.  Tell  them  you  have  been  laboring  under  relig- 
ious excitement,  and  have  been  indiscreet  in  your  lan- 
guage. Have  the  business  we  were  planning  go  on  as 
usual.  Save  ourselves  from  the  inevitable  ruin  that 
faces  us." 

"Do  you  mean,  Mr.  Cummings,  that  you  counsel 
me  to  retract  all  I  have  said  about  my  conversion,  and 
assent,  as  heretofore,  to  all  methods  I  now  regard  as 


wrong?  " 


"  You  do  not  need  to  retract  all  you  said.  Assure 
the  Board  of  your  assistance  in  the  plans  we  must 
make.  At  least  keep  silent  or  remain  with  the  com- 
pany until  we  have  dealt  with  the  Unions." 

"  And  sanction  the  Godless  measures  we  have  estab- 
lished.?    Do  you  advise  me  to  do  that?" 

"  Godless !  It  is  simply  business,  as  business  is  con- 
ducted. You  cannot  inject  the  Golden  Rule  into  busi- 
ness. It  is  a  conflict.  It  has  been  established  by  com- 
mon consent.  You  have  been  its  best  exponent.  I  say 
your  withdrawal  now  and  condemnation  of  our  plans 
means  ruin  to  us.     It  means  ruin." 

"  It  has  meant  ruin  to  us  all  our  lives,  Cummings. 
Ruin  of  all  the  sacred,  loving  feelings  of  man  for  man. 


!U 


.r'*-*!;-* 


la*  , 


830      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

Ruin  of  all  the  religious  aspirations,  ruin  of  the  holiest 
ambitions,  and  nun  of  the  dearest  things  of  the  soul. 
The  loss  of  money  is  the  smallest  thing  that  threatens 
us.    It  is  no  longer  my  God.    I  cannot,  and  wdl  not, 
support  by  silence  nor  consent  the  miquity  of  the 
Jthods  I  have  in  the  past  endorsed  and  worked  out. 
If  my  act  means  your  financial  loss,  I  beheve,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  will  mean  by  the  grace  of  God  unspeak- 
able gain  to  the  commercial  world  at  large. 

Cummings  was  about  to  reply  to  Wr.ghtam  when 
Judge  Rodney  gravely  interrupted.  All  three  men 
were  under  great  and  unusual  excitement,  but 
Wrightam  was  by  far  the  calmest  of  the  three. 

"Do  you  consider  your  mind  clear  on  this  religious 
question,  Mr.  Wrightam?  Do  you  consider  the  ex- 
perience as  in  every  way  worthy  of  intellectua  mental 
assent?  Is  it  safe  to  follow  the  excitement,  the  emo- 
tional stress  under  which  you  are  laboring." " 

Wrightam  cleached  his  hands.     His  face  grew  red, 
then  white.     In  the  old  days   (how  far  away  tney 
seemed  now!)   any  hint  fr  m  his  business  associates 
that  he  might  be  mistaken  in  his  mental  conception 
.as  enough  to  enrage  him  to  the  point  of  passion 
Under  the  cold,  critical  questioning  of  the  eminent 
jurist,  he  felt  for  a  moment  the  stirring  of  the  old  mam 
Only  for  a  moment.    That  new  life  instantly  asserted 
its  lordship,  and  when  he  answered  Judge  Rodney  it 
was  with  a  quiet,  sane,  weU-balanced  repb^  that  stag- 
gered the  lawyer  and  effectually  silenced  him. 

«  Judge  Rodney,  my  religious  experience  is  the  san- 


/.'I-.^(  mis 


THE   P.VRTIXG   OF   THE    WAYS     231 

est,  truest  thing  in  n^y  whole  life.  I  don't  deny  the 
emotion.  I  have  felt  iiore  within  the  last  twenty-four 
hours  than  during  all  the  years  since  I  was  born.  But 
is  emotion  not  to  be  trusted?  May  it  not  be  as  trust- 
worthy a  witness  as  the  will  or  the  intellect  .=*  1  am 
not  mad  any  more  than  Paul  was,  though  I  n  xy  scim 
so  to  you  and  all  the  rest  who  have  never  seen  my  soul 
in  any  manifestation  of  itself.  I  claim  here  and  now, 
that  I  am  acting  in  a  saner,  more  sensible  manner  than 
any  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  this  bank. 
They  think,  as  I  did  once,  that  the  first  business  of  a 
man's  life  is  to  make  money.  All  the  teachins-  of  Jesus 
Christ  the  Son  of  God  is  contrary  to  that  idea.  The 
Kingdom  of  God  ought  to  be  the  first  of  all  objects 
in  a  sane  man's  life.  I  believe  that  now.  And  1 
claim  that  in  believing  with  the  greatest  and  best 
Being  that  ever  lived,  I  am  living  in  a  truer,  calmer, 
more  rightly-balanced  intellectual  and  mental  condi- 
tion than  the  man  who  denies  that  Jesus  Christ  taught 
the  only  way  to  live." 

Cummings  broke  in  again.  "It  is  all  sheer  non- 
sense! The  commercial  world  cannot  be  run  on  any 
such  principle.  Business  is  business,  and  must  be  run 
as  such.  It  cannot  be  run  like  a  Sunday  school." 
He  picked  up  his  hat.  "If  the  bank  goes  to  the 
wall  it  will  be  your  doing.  If  ruin  faces  us  all  you 
can  take  the  blame.  Fine  thing!  Your  precious 
Christianity ! " 

He  went  out  and  left  Judge  Rodney  and  Wrightam 
together. 


>    'r  'Ha 


i 


*  ^ 


:  ■      1 


't.i 


I{ 


^    ; 

1 

11  h  • 

232      THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

"It  is  what  I  expected,"  Wrightam  murmured.  The 
Judge  eyed  liim  with  conflicting  feelings. 

«  Your  course  is  not  .altogether  clear  in  its  details. 
The  whole  affair  is  complicated.  Your  action  will  in- 
volve grave  changes  in  all  Lenox  industries.     Have 

you  rcali/id  that?  " 

«  1  have,  in  part.  I  have  prayed  for  wisdom  to  meet 
all  these  changing  conditions.  I  desire  to  save  as 
many  as  possible  from  disaster.  I  will  do  my  utmost, 
Judge  Rodney,  to  shieU'  'he  innocent.  But  what 
other  course  is  open  to  me,  as  a  Christian,  txcept  to 
withdraw  myself  from  schemes  which  are  positively 
wrong  and  unchristian?    Do  you  see  anything  else  for 

me  to  do?" 

The  Judge  answered  slowly,  a  strange  lool.  >..  his 

eyes  as  he  did  so. 

"  I  see  no  other  course,  logically,  if  you  are  really 
going  to  try  to  be  a  Christian.  Of  course,  if  your 
Christianity  is  nominal,  that  is  one  thing;  but  if  it  is 

real "  ,  .     v      j 

The  Judge  rose  to  go.  He  held  out  his  hand. 
"Whatever  happens,  Mr.  Wrightam,  I  wish  to  assure 
you  of  my  respect.    I  cannot  doubt  your  sincerity.    As 

to  where  that  will  lead  you " 

"God  knows.  I  will  trust  Him,"  Wrightam 
answered,  tears  in  his  eyes  as  he  clasped  Rodney's 
hand  firmly.     The  Judge  went  out  and  left  him 

alone. 

He  had  been  gone  only  a  few  moments  when  the 
cashier  of  the  bank  opened  the  door,  and  said  a  re- 


THE    PARTING    OF    THE    WAYS     2;iB 


porttr  for  the  Times  wanted  to  see  the  President  of 
the  bunk. 

Wriglitani  let  him  come  in  nnd  told  him  the  simple 
truth.  The  reporter  could  hardly  trust  his  senses,  but 
he  rapidly  took  donn  the  sbitemcnt  Wrightam  fur- 
nished, and  hurried  out  after  the  interview  to  write  up 
for  the  first  edition  of  the  afternoon  the  most  remark- 
able occurrence  ever  chronicled  by  the  Lenox  papers. 

Tliat  was  a  strange  day  in  the  experience  of  J.  B. 
Wrightam.  He  stayed  down  at  his  ofHce,  telephoning 
out  to  his  house  that  he  would  not  be  up  to  lunch  as 
usual.  All  the  afternoon  visitors,  business  acquaint- 
ances, crowded  the  office,  angry,  incredulous,  aston- 
ished, overwhelmed  at  the  occurrence.  Out  on  the 
main  street  wl  ^n  the  first  edition  of  the  Times  ap- 
peared, men  in  excited  groups  stood  about  holding  the 
paper,  reading  the  astonishing  news  of  the  "  Conver- 
sion of  J.  B.  Wrightam,  the  mill  magnate!"  "Will 
withdraw  from  the  Trust."  "  '^'^'ect  of  Dr.  Stanton's 
preaching  last  Sunday."  "  Uun  on  the  bank  is  ex- 
pected to-morrow."  "  Shares  in  Orcvillc  have  a  tum- 
ble ! "  "  Other  members  of  the  company  enraged  and 
aghast."  "Probable  effect  on  the  actions  of  the 
Unions."  "  Harvey's  views  on  the  situation."  "  Un- 
paralleled excitement  in  Lenox  over  the  event." 

It  was  after  dark  before  Wrightam  could  get  away. 
He  started  for  home  at  last,  and  as  he  came  out  on  the 
street  tlie  newsboys  were  even  that  late  crying  out  his 
name  and  selling  papers.  He  walked  along,  going 
over  the  day's  experience.    It  had  been  full  of  crosses, 


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P.34      THE   HEART   OF   THE   WORLD 

bitter  reproaches,  threats,  estrangements,  revilings, 
curses  from  the  men  who,  with  him,  had  made  Mam- 
mon their  God.  Still,  at  his  heart  was  the  peace  of 
God  and  the  love  of  his  Redeemer.  He  was  full  of  a 
strange  joy,  and  had  nothing  to  retract  or  change. 

As  he  drew  near  home  he  began  to  think  of  his  wife. 
All  his  other  crosses  were  light  by  the  side  of  this. 

"  God  help  nie,"  he  prayed,  as  ho  entered  the  house. 
"  God  help  me  and  her ! " 

He  went  into  the  "  den  "  after  hanging  up  his  coat 
and  hat.  It  was  dark,  and  he  went  through  into  the 
library.  That  was  empty,  and  he  went  on  to  the  din- 
ing-room.  The  table  was  set  for  dinner,  and  one  of 
the  servants  was  standing  near  the  dumb-waiter. 
"Where  is  Mrs.  Wrightam?" 

"I   don't  know,   sir.     I "     The   girl   seemed 

frightened  and  looked  stran;'?ely  at  him.  He  went  out 
and  up  the  stairs,  and  called  his  wife's  name.  Getting 
no  answer  he  suddenly  turned,  and,  a^.  if  obeying  some 
direction,  went  down  into  the  "don"  and  turned  on 
the  light  there. 

As  he  did  so  he  saw  on  his  desk  a  piece  of  paper, 
placed  on  the  middle  of  the  blotter,  addressed  to  him. 
He  picked  it  up,  anticipating  its  contents,  and  read: 
"  I  am  no  longer  your  wife.  I  have  read  the  accounts 
in  the  paper.  The  whole  affair  is  disgraceful.  I  will 
not  endure  such  a  life.  I  am  leaving  you,  and  you 
need  not  expect  me  to  return.    Alfred  is  with  me." 

That  wa?  all,  and  he  was  dazed  by  the  brief  brutal- 
ity of  it.    it  mattered  little  to  him  afterwards  that  she 


I  1 


THE    PARTING    OF    TIIE    WAYS     Z'M 

had  taken  with  her  the  family  jewels  and  nil  tf.e  moiiev 
nhe  could  secure  from  Imlh  ,^'fred  and  KiUeri.  For 
the  moment  tlie  fact  of  the  woman's  departure  out  of 
his  house  and  his  life  smote  him  deeply,  and  that  was 
all  he  realized  until,  after  a  ftiw  moments,  the  last  line 
began  ♦o  detach  itself  from  the  rest.  "  Alfred  is  with 
me."     His  daujrhfn-,  then,  Eileen— had  she- 


There  was  n  nistiing  souml  in  the  hallway,  and  he 
turned,  his  heart  in  a  tumult. 

Eileen  came  in,  timidly  at  first,  then  as  she  saw  him 
standin<r  there  holding  the  note  in  his  hand,  siie  ran  up 
to  him,  and  with  a  sob  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck. 

*'  Oh,  father.  I  could  not  leave  you  !  Father !  Father ! 
Do  you  neef  1  me  now  ?  " 

"Thank  God!  Thank  God!  Dear  child!"  was  all 
he  could  say  as  he  clasped  her  to  him,  and  she  passed 
her  hand  over  his  face,  wet  with  tears,  as  she  cried 
again,  "Father!"  and  that  day  of  cross-bearing  for 
the  once  selfish-hearted  magnate  came  to  a  close  with 
a  radiance  not  of  earth,  that  filled  the  souls  of  father 
and  daughter,  as  they  mingled  their  tears  of  grief 
and  affection  in  one  never-to-be-forgotten  lo^  .•  of  each 
other. 


XXI 


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HARVEY   AND   THE   "NEWMAN" 

AFTER  the  first  joyful  exclamation  of  Wrightam 
over  the  fact  that  his  daughter's  love  for  him 
had  become  more  real,   question   and   answer 
revealed  the  facts  of  his  wife's  departure. 

She  had  first  commanded  Eileen  to  go  with  her; 
then,  when  the  girl  steadfastly  refused,  she  pleaded 
and  threatened  alternately.  This  did  not  move  Eileen, 
and  ]\Irs.  Wrightam  had  finally  written  the  note,  and 
packing  up  all  a  ^liable  valuables  that  she  could  carry, 
had  gone  away.     Where,  Eileen  did  not  know. 

In  answer  to  her  fatlicr's  inquiry,  she  had  heard  her 
mother  declare  her  intention  of  going  back  to  the 
stage.  As  the  handsome  Mrs.  Lynde,  she  had  acted 
with  remarkable  success  for  a  year  after  her  divorce, 
and  before  her  marriage  to  Wrightam.  The  old  life 
always  had  peculiar  attractions  for  her.  Wrightam 
was  certain  she  would  return  to  it. 

But  his  daughter  filled  his  thought,  evon  more  than 
this  event  which  had  divided  and  broken  his  home. 
Eileen  was  really  unknown  to  her  father,  A  girl  with 
extravagant  tastes  and  a  superficial  education,  she  yet 
had  a  strain  of  the  old  Pilgrim  blood  of  New  Eng- 
land in  her  character.  When  the  crisis  had  flashed 
up  sharply  and  without  warning,  she  had  quietly,  but 

236 


HARVEY   AND   THE   "NEW   MAN"     237 

with  invincible  firmness,  made  licr  decision  to  stay  with 
her  father.  At  the  moment  she  flung  her  arms  about 
his  neck  as  he  stood  there  in  the  "  den,"  her  nature 
grew  at  a  bound  in  afFcctionate  feehng  for  him.  His 
religious  experience  was  an  unknown  page  to  her,  but 
her  heart  spelled  without  mistake  his  yearning  and 
need  as  he  faced  her,  and  the  revelation  of  that  feeling 
afFtcted  him  as  a  new  experience,  to  add  to  his  Chris- 
tion  faith  a  factor  hitherto  unknown. 

"  Eileen,  girl,  your  father  has  had  a  strange  day. 
In  some  ways  the  strangest  of  his  life." 

"  Father,  I  have  not  been  a  good  daughter  to  you, 
and  I  don't  understand  now.  But,"  she  said  it  tim- 
idly, but  tearfully,  "you  need  some  one;  it  did  not 
seem  to  me  I  could  leave  you.    Do  you  need  me?  " 

The  tears  streamed  over  Wrightam's  large,  coarse 
face.  Yet  its  coarseness  was  in  reality  washed  away 
by  those  drops,  every  one  of  which  was  pure  affection 
out  of  the  spring  of  his  new-bom  nature. 

" Need  you,  girl.?  Your  father  is  heart-hungry  for 
you.  Oh,  I  will  be  such  a  father  to  you,  Eileen !  If 
God  will  permit  me  to  make  good  a  part  of  my  neg- 
lected past." 

So  they  sat  there  and  talked  on  the  past  and  present 
and  future ;  and  over  the  disgrace  of  the  faithless  wife 
was  gently  spread  the  all-enveloping  mantle  of  a 
heaven-born  relationship  between  these  two  whicii  was 
destined,  by  the  will  of  the  Divine,  to  grow  tenderer 
and  deeper  through  the  amazing  experiences  of 
Wrightam's  career  in  the  weeks  that  followed. 


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238      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

Through  all  that  period  that  now  meant  testing  to 
the  converted  financier,  he  walked  calmly  and  even  joy- 
fully. The  storm  of  public  criticism,  misunderstanding 
and  abuse  burst  full  upon  him.  The  papers  published 
full  and  detailed  accounts  of  his  wife's  action,  and 
with  journalistic  "  enterprise  "  added  columns  of  scan- 
dal that  had  no  foundation  in  truth  except  that  of 
surmise  and  rumor.  Even  Eileen  was  subjected  to  the 
torture  of  a  brow-beating  process  to  extort  the  minut- 
est items  relative  to  her  mother's  flight  and  her  own 
stay  with  her  father.  The  most  sacred  and  private 
feelings  were  deliberately  exhibited  as  part  of  the 
"  story  "  of  the  Wrightam  family  sensation. 

All  this  fell  brutally  and  unfeelingly  on  Wrightam 
and  his  daughter.  Through  it  all  he  offered  no  re- 
joinder, asked  for  no  redress  and  expected  no  quarter. 
Old  friends  fell  away  from  him  as  from  a  plague. 
Members  of  Saint  Cecilia  regarded  him  with  cold  dis- 
trust. 

When  the  storm  burst  on  the  bank,  Cummings, 
Durand,  Fleming  and  others  saved  themselves  by  every 
artifice  known  to  their  commercial  diplomacy. 
Through  all  those  days  of  stress,  Wrightam  lived 
straight  on,  putting  his  own  fortune  into  tne  bank  and 
stopping  the  run  on  it,  and,  true  to  his  promise,  pay- 
ing out,  dollar  for  dollar,  to  Cummings  and  the  other 
directors,  every  cent  they  had  lost  by  the  panic.  Im- 
mense as  his  resources  had  been,  the  drain  on  them 
through  this  unexampled  use,  as  the  mill  stock  fell, 
was  enormous.     In  his  conscientious  desire  to  redeem 


HARVEY  AND   THE   "NEW  MAN"     239 

the  promise  to  Cummings,  he  began  to  realize,  as  the 
days  grew  into  weeks,  that  his  millions  had  shrunk  to 
thousands,  and  his  once  h'mitless  wealth  was  fast  tak- 
ing w.ngs  to  %  away.    The  inevitable  result  he  began 
to  foresee,  did  not,  however,  disturb  him.    The  money 
he  once  had  worshiped  he  no  longer  deified.     He  even 
began  to  feel  a  sense  of  relief  at  the  thought  of  be- 
ginning hfe  new  on  an  absolutely  clean,  honest  basis, 
with  no  unclean  dollars  to  haunt  his  memory  and  tor- 
ture  him  with  the  silent,  persistent  accusation  of  a 
selfish  past  which  God  had  forgiven. 

Sitting  in  his  «  den  "  one  evening  at  this  time,  when 
he  first  began  to  understand  that  he  was  no  longer  a 
nulhonaire  or  even  a  rich  man,  he  was  surprised  to 
have  Bruce  Harvey  call. 

Harvey  had  been  in  Oreville  after  Wrightam's  con- 
version    When  he  read  the  accounts  in  the  paper.,  his 
hps  had  curled  contemptuously     He  had  not  believed 
\  u  .V°"  returning  to  Lenox  he  had  seen  Stanton, 
rnd  had  been  staggered  at  the  minister's  positive  faith 
in  Wnghtam's  sincerity.    The  events  that  followed  the 
run  on  the  bank,  the  surrender  on  Wrightam's  part, 
to  the  other  directors  of  all  the  Oreville  stock  to  save 
them,  the  evident  change  of  purpose  in  the  life  of  the 
magnate,  had  seemed  to  Harvey  incredible.     His  old 
distrust  and  hatred  of  Wrightam  was  too  recent  and 
too  deeply  intrenched,  however,  to  be  dislodged,  and 
he  still  entertained  a  belief  that  the  shrewd  captain  of 
industry  had  a  game  to  play,  and  was  using  the  relig- 
ious dodge  to  make  a  grand  coup  that  would  place  him 


Ml 


240   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


II  ' 


at  the  head  of  the  industrial  column  and  rout  his  com- 
mercial rivals  once  for  all,  beyond  hope  of  recovery 
for  them. 

"  Why,"  said  Harvey  to  Stanton,  "  I  would  as  soon 
expect  the  devil  himself  to  join  the  Church  and  be  con- 
verted at  heart  as  to  expect  J.  B.  Wrightam  to  stop 
loving  money  or  power.  He  is  an  old  bird.  He  has  a 
card  up  his  sleeve  that  he  isn't  showing  you  or  the 
public." 

Stanton  felt  hurt  at  Harvey's  cold-blooded  disbe- 
lief. 

"If  you  don't  believf  the  facts,  go  and  see 
Wrightam  for  yourself,  lost  him  in  any  way  you 
can.  But  in  the  name  of  thil  judgment  by  which  you 
will  be  judged  yourself,  Harvey,  don't  discredit  as 
plain  a  case  of  God's  dealing  with  a  man  as  the  world 
ever  saw." 

"Well,  I  don't  mean  to  be  unfair,  Mr.  Stanton," 
Harvey  had  replied,  somewhat  abashed;  "but  3'ou 
must  remember  how  many  years  I  have  been  thinking 
of  Wrightam  as  having  horns  and  hoofs.  I  can't 
wipe  out  that  picture  in  a  minute." 

But  he  took  Stanton's  suggestion,  and  called  at 
Wrightam's  that  evening.  When  he  walked  into  the 
"  den  "  he  was  in  a  condition  of  mental  curiosity,  and 
a  large  reservation  of  distrust. 

"Glad  to  see  you,  Brother  Harvey,"  said 
Wrightam  heartily.  "Take  off  your  overcoat  and 
draw  up  to  the  fire.    It's  cold  out." 

"Thank   you,"   replied   Harvey   slowly.     "But  I 


iiii  4 


»> 


HARVEY  AND   THE   "NEW  MAN"     241 

guess  I  won't  trouble  to  take  ofF  my  coat.     I  can't 
stay  long." 

Wrightam  looked  at  him  earnestly,  but  did  not  re- 
peat his  invitation.  Harvey  coughed  and  seemed  a 
little  embarrassed. 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you." "  asked  Wrightam. 

"Nothing!  Did  you  think  I  called  to  get  any- 
thing? "  Harvey  said  roughly. 

Wrightara's  face  expressed  surprise.  Then  he  re- 
plied gently : 

"  I  did  not  know.    If  I  could  be  of  any  service '» 

"  See  here  J.  B.,  I  am  not  fooled  by  this  part  you 
are  acting.  You've  got  a  scheme.  Well,  I  want  to 
say,  so  have  I.  You  want  to  crush  the  Union.  That 
is  the  great  desire  of  your  life.  Let  me  tell  you,  it 
can't  be  done."  Harvey  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket 
and  drew  out  a  paper.  "  Read  that !  "  he  said,  with  a 
tone  of  coarse  exultation  that  measured  the  limit  of 
his  reckoning  with  the  man  who  had  for  years  stood  in 
his  path  as  the  enemy  of  every  ambition  he  had  ever 
felt. 

Wrightam  took  the  paper  and  read  it  with  every 
expression  of  surprise. 

It  was  a  contract  signed  by  over  five  thousand  men 
in  Lenox  and  Oreville  mills  to  withdraw  from  the  mills 
and  organize  a  joint-stock  company  to  run  on  a  co- 
operative basis,  entirely  independent  of  all  aid  or  as- 
sistance from  outside  capital.  It  was  the  culmination 
of  years  of  planning  on  Harvey's  part,  the  result  of 
painful  wrestling  with  duU  and  slow  minds,  and  an 


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242   THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

almost  superhuman  overcoming  of  prejudice,  fear  and 
conflicting  forces  at  war  in  Labor's  own  camp. 

It  was,  Harvey  believed,  the  first  really  successful 
attempt  ever  made  by  organized  Labor  to  free  itself 
from  the  unequal  union  with  Capital,  where  Capital 
claimed  the  lion's  share  of  the  benefits. 

Under  the  contract,  most  of  the  skilled  labor  in  both 
the  Lenox  and  Orevillt  mills  agreed  to  withdraw  and 
hAp  form  the  new  combination. 

"  This  will  be  made  public  to-morrow.  Perhaps  you 
would  like  to  take  stock  in  the  new  company,  Mr. 
Wrightam.  I  understand  you  have  lost  a  little  in  the 
recent  flurry,"  said  Harvey  with  a  sneer. 

Wrightam  made  no  answer.  His  eyes  looked  into 
the  fire  thoughtfully.  Not  even  a  flush  of  color  had 
touched  his  face  at  anything  Harvey  had  said.  The 
man  who  sat  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind  had  been 
too  close  to  the  source  of  divine  happiness  and  peace  to 
feel  disturbed  over  these  common  taunts.  Harvey 
looked  at  him  uneasily.  He  did  not  comprehend  this 
new  man. 

Wrightam  handed  back  the  contract  quietly. 

"  I  hope  you  will  succeed,  Mr.  Harvey.  But  I  know 
you  will  not,  unless  you  put  into  the  scheme  one  thing 
which  -  '^ar  is  altogether  lacking." 

"What's  that.?" 

"  Let  me  ask  a  question.  In  this  list  of  names  how 
many  men  have  you  who  have  become  Christians  dur- 
ing the  Rink  meetings.?  " 

Harvey's  face  grew  dark  with  passion.     Then  he 


HARVEY  AND  THE   "NEW  MAN"     243 

experienced  an  unusual  emotion  of  shame  as  the  inci- 
dent with  Stanton  over  that  event  recurred  to  him. 

Very  few,  if  any,  I  guess.    We  don't  need  them. 
We  can  get  along  better  without  the  snivellers." 

"Mr.  Stanton  tolls  me  there  were  about  four  hun- 
dred men  soundly  converted  during  the  meetings, 
^ou  say  almost  none  of  these  men  are  going  out  into 
your  new  company  }  " 

"  PracticaUy  none  of  them.  But  it  makes  little  dif- 
ference. The  Lenox  mills  will  have  to  close  down 
when  we  pull  out." 

"  ^°  y°"  /e«"y  believe  that  ?  »  Wrightam  asked 
the  question  keenly.  Back  of  it  lay  all  his  past  shrewd 
knowledge  of  facts  in  the  commercial  world 

"I  know  it,"  Harvey  said;  but  in  spite  of  himself 
there  was  a  note  of  uneasiness  in  his  tone. 

"  I  do  not,  Harvey.    If  you  imagine  Cummings  and 
men  like  him  are  going  to  let  the  Lenox  and  Oreville 
plants  he  idle  and  permit  you  to  open  up  without 
rivalry,  you  are  very  much  mistaken.    There  are  two 
thousand  men   idle  now   in   Raymond,  who,   with  a 
month  s  experience,   could  operate  the  Lenox  mills 
fairly  well     You  have  chosen  a  poor  time  to  pull  out. 
There  are  hundreds  of  good  furnacemen  who  will  rush 
into  Lenox  and  Oreville  to  take  your  place." 

«  We  expect  to  get  our  share  of  the  Raymond  men," 
Harvey  replied  doggedly. 

Wrightam  shook  his  head.  «  After  all,  these  things 
are  not  the  important  ones.  Even  granting  that  you 
have  a  clear  field  to  organize  and  operate  under  the 


:|4 


k!,:!^ 


244      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

most  favorable  circumstances,  Brother  Harvey,  I  be- 
lieve you  are  destined  to  fail  in  the  end,  because  you 
are  leaving  out  o/  the  enterprise  the  great  essential 
to  any  solution  of  the  whole  terrible  Labor  ques- 
tion." 

*•  What's  that?  "  Harvey  asked  incredulously.  Not 
even  his  close  acquaintance  with  Stanton  an  '  knowl- 
edge of  his  convictions  prepared  him  for  Wrightam*s 
obvious  answer.  He  had  been  too  long  accustomed  to 
thinking  of  Wrightam  as  an  enemy,  as  a  money-lover. 
He  could  not  readjust  his  thought  of  the  man. 

"  You  leave  out  the  religious  love  of  man  for  man, 
Harvey.  You  are  going  to  do  with  your  new  indus- 
trial combination  just  what  men  like  me  (as  I  used  to 
be)  have  been  doing  in  the  past.  The  entire  Labor 
question  could  be  solved  in  ten  years,  or  less,  if  men 
loved  one  another.  It  can  never  be  solved  around  the 
sign  of  the  dollar,  as  fought  for  by  either  party.  Men 
have  need  to  be  bom  again.  The  first  object  in  life  is 
the  Kingdom  of  Grod.  And  even  if  you  seem  to  suc- 
ceed in  your  enterprise  and  do  not  have  love,  it  will 
profit  you  nothing." 

Harvey  listened,  angered.  Was  this  J.  B. 
Wrightam,  the  captain  of  industry,  the  financier  who 
for  years  had  dictated  terms  to  Lenox,  and  held  the 
fortunes  of  thousands  in  his  pocket .!" 

He  looked  at  Wrightam  more  carefully.  The  one 
thing  that  struck  him  most  of  all  as  he  looked  was  the 
peace  on  Wrightam's  face.  It  was  unmistakable. 
The  next  thing  was  the  happiness.     There  was  an 


HARVEY  AND   THE   "NEW  MAN"     246 

actual  glow  on  tliose  large,  heavy  features  that  even 
Harvey  could  not  explain. 

"Fanatic!"  he  said  to  himself.  Still  he  did  not 
believe  in  the  man's  transformation.  The  whole  thing 
was  absurd.  It  was  also  irritating,  and  he  got  up  sud- 
denly, s  if  the  atmosphere  of  the  "  den  "  had  become 
choking  to  him. 

"I  didn't  come  here  to  be  preached  to,"  he  said 
sharply.     "  Good-evening." 

"  Good-night,"  Wrightam  said  calmly.  "  If  I  can 
be  of  service  sometime,  perhaps " 

Harvey  turned  at  the  door,  and  looked  back 
curiously.  Wrightam  was  standing  under  the  light, 
the  expression  on  his  face  unchanged. 

"Are  you  going  to  continue  with  the  Lenox  com- 
pany.? "  Wrightam  had  gone  out  of  the  bank.  Har- 
vey knew  that. 

"I  handed  in  my  resignation  to-day.  It  will  be 
public  news  to-morrow." 

Harvey  stepped  back  into  the  room.  A  question 
trembled  on  his  lips  as  a  sudden  possibility  flashed 
into  his  mind. 

"  Do  you  suppose .?  "  the  question  remained  un- 
asked. Harvey  still  doubted.  The  miracle  was  too 
great  to  be  credited.  He  abruptly  turned  and  went 
away,  and  Wrightp.m  did  not  know  how  near  Harvey 
had  come  to  making  a  most  astounding  proposition 
to  the  former  head  of  the  Lenox  mills. 

This  proposition  that  nearly  came  from  the  Labor 
leader  was  an  ofi'er  to  Wrightam  to  come  into  the  new 


■m 


p:ft 


«46      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

enterprise  as  its  general  manager.  For  all  Harvey's  as- 
surance, he  had  at  heart  a  deep  misgiving  concerning 
the  management  of  affairs.  There  were  scores  of  men 
out  of  Lenox  mills  who  could  act  as  foremen  or  heads 
of  departments,  but  did  he  have  material  capable  of 
general  oversight  in  the  administration  of  such  a  huge 
affair."  He  silently  went  over  the  list  of  possible 
managers,  and  the  enumeration  did  not  reassure  him. 

He  mentioned  his  doubts  to  Stanton. 

"Why  don't  you  ask  Wrightam  to  take  charge?" 
Stanton  queried. 

"  I  don't  trust  him,  to  tell  the  truth.  I  don't  really 
believe  in  what  you  call  his  conversion." 

Stanton  was  angry. 

"What  do  you  want  for  proof?  Are  you  waiting 
for  miracles?" 

"I  don't  understand  him,"  Harvey  replied  sullenly. 

"And,  of  course,  you  don't  believe  anything  you 
don't  understand !  If  that  was  logically  your  creed, 
Harvey,  you  could  not  breathe  another  second.  But 
you  will  learn,  in  time,  that  Wrightam  is  converted  as 
truly  as  St.  Paul  was.  As  to  the  management,  though, 
as  I  think  it  over,  I  don't  believe  Wrightam  would 
take  it  now.  He  is  going  through  a  crisis  in  his  busi- 
ness relations,  and  has  not  yet  satisfied  himself  as  to 
his  future." 

Stanton  was  exactly  right.  In  the  mind  of  the 
magnate  there  was,  as  yet,  an  unexplored  and  un- 
known world  before  him.  He  needed  time  to  work  it 
out.    His  heart  was  at  peace.    But  the  problem  of  liis 


liL 


HAHVEY  AND  THE   "NEW   MAN"     247 

future  was  not  yet  revealed  to  liim  In  its  details.  He 
was  conscious,  as  such  a  man  vould  be,  of  possessing 
unusual  powers  in  the  way  of  administration  and 
organizing  ability.  Somewhere  in  (Jod's  great  world 
he  believed  there  was  an  honest  place  for  the  exercise 
of  those  powers  to  the  glory  of  God's  Kingdom  on 
the  earth,  and  in  the  confident  belief  he  now  reposed 
in  his  heavenly  Father,  he  bided  his  time  and  went  his 
way,  facing  the  loss  of  his  wealth  with  a  quiet  forti- 
tude that  amazed  both  friends  and  enemies. 


-x 


' 


i  P 


,-    J 


i 

-     .   H 

^1 

.  ■[• 

'!^ 

,1 

hi  1 1 


XXII 

WORKING  OUT  SALVATION 

ONE  evening,  a  year  after  this  conversati 
came  home  and  met  Eileen  in  the  hall.  Shv  nd 
daily  grown  in  the  grace  of  affection,  and  '  he 
brightest  part  of  the  day  for  Wrightam  was  that 
period  when  he  returrned  from  the  complicated  settle- 
ment of  his  changed  business  relations  to  the  house 
where  his  daughter  was  growing  into  a  place  of 
respect,  as  well  as  love. 

Mrs.  Wrightam  had  never  written  again,  except 
through  her  lawyer,  to  institute  divorce  proceedings. 
The  matter  had  caused  Wrightam  crucifixion.  Into 
the  secret  chamber  of  his  communion  with  his  Lord 
he  had  carried  this  burden  also,  and  brought  the 
assurance  of  help.  Under  the  State  law  he  could  net 
prevent  the  appeal  nor  the  final  decree.  There  was, 
however,  a  period  of  three  months  remaining  before 
the  divorce  could  be  obtained.  He  had  noticed  in  the 
paper  that  day  a  theatrical  notice  of  Mrs.  Lynde's 
acting  in  a  sensational  play.  She  had  taken  her  old 
name,  and,  according  to  the  press  reports,  was  win- 
ning ovations  everywhere.  Wrightam  had  written  her 
to  her  address  in  the  town  where  she  was  last  with  her 
company,  begging  her  to  return  home,  telling  her  of 

346 


{:.. 


m 


iiriiiiaii 


WORKING   OLT    SALVATION 


S49 


Kilfun's  devotion,  ami  also  giving  her  iin  account  of 
his  financial  losses.  He  hud  closed  hi>  letter  by  saying 
to  lier: 

"  Amy,  I  am  obliged  to  give  up  the  l)ouse  and  its 
furnishings,  except  what  is  necessary  for  Eileen  and 
myself,  and  for  you,  if  you  will  come  back.  I  have 
not  time  to  tell  you  the  reason  fc  all  this,  I  am  at 
j'eace  witu  God  and  have  a  clear  conscience.  It  will 
bi'  a  cross  for  Eileen  to  leave  the  house.  I  have  not 
yet  spoken  to  her  about  it,  but  expfot  to  do  so  to-night. 
She  has  been  a  true  daughter,  and  I  am  sure  of  her 
loyalty.  But  oh,  Amy,  my  wife,  the  past  will  be  as  if 
it  had  never  been  if  you  will  only  return,  and  with 
Eileen  and  Alfred,  who  I  learn  is  with  you  still,  start 
a  home  life  with  love  at  the  heart  of  it  and  a  great 
forgiving  God  to  .shed  his  mercy  over  us.  My  prayer, 
as  I  write  this,  is  that  you  may  come.     God  help  us." 

The  writing  of  this  letter  was  fresh  in  his  mind  as 
he  let  Eileen  take  his  coat  and  hat.  He  bent  down  and 
kissed  her,  and  after  chatting  a  few  moments  in  the 
"  den "  they  went  out  to  supper. 

When  the  meal  was  over  they  went  back  in*  -  the 
"  den."  The  faiiilliar  room  had  become  the  regular 
sitting-room  of  the  house,  dear  to  father  and  daughter 
on  account  of  its  associations. 

"  Eileen,"  Wrightam  began,  following  an  old  habit 
contracted  in  his  previously  crowded  business  career, 
"  what  would  you  think  of  moving  away  from 
Lenox .'  • ' 


H 


■m  ;  ^"    5  ' 


! 


jiii'i  H 


THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

«r^^^^'  ^*^^^^'  ^  ^^""^  ''^''^^  «^^en  it  a  thought. 
What  do  you  mean?  " 

«  What  would  you  say,  girl,  if  your  father  should 
tell  you  he  must  let  this  house  go  and  move  into  a  far 
less  expensive  one?" 

The  girl's  naturaUy  unchecked  extravagant  tastes 
rose  up  to  rebel. 

"You  don't  mean,  father,  that  you  are  not 
able " 

He  feared,  for  one  bitter  moment,  that  she  was 
gouig   out   of   his   life   as   her   mother   had   gone 
But  he  went  on  cabnly  to  tell  her  the  unwelcome 
truth. 

"  Eileen,  my  fortune  is  gone.  The  house  that  has 
sheltered  us  is  no  longer  rightly  mine.  I  have  a 
piece  of  unencumbered  property  in  Brandon,  with 
a  comfortable  house,  where  we  can  go  and  malce  our 
home.  But  we  shaU  have  to  give  this  up.  Do  you 
realize,  girl,  that  your  father  is  no  longer  a  rich  man? 
I  have  talked  with  you  about  this  matter  a  little  It 
Eiken"^"^"'  ^°''  *°  "»^«"t*»d  it.     I  am  sorry  for  you, 

She  looked  at  him  more  thoughtfully.  The  marks 
of  struggle  he  had  made  for  over  a  year  were  plainly 
indicated  m  his  face  and  figure.  But  there  was  no 
mark  of  defeat.  It  was  all  stamped  with  the  victory, 
not  the  humiliation,  of  the  Cross.  But  the  g-.eatest 
thing  Eileen  saw  to-night  was  a  wistful  yearning  fo^ 
sympathy  and  affection.  She  saw  he  needed  assur- 
ance of  her  willingness  to  share  with  him  the  new  and 


W 


WORKING   OUT   SALVATION  251 

probably  strange  life  no«-  awaiting  them.  She  hesi- 
tated only  a  moment.  Next  instant  her  arms  were 
around  his  neck,  and  she  was  crying  a  few  natural 
tears  of  regret  at  the  earthly  loss  of  the  things  she 
had  pnzed;  but  he  knew,  as  he  proudly  stroked  her 
hair,  he  was  a  richer  man  than  he  had  ever  been :  Tor 
this  which  he  now  possessed  was  worth  more  than  all 
the  money  he  had  ever  called  his  own 

Later   i„   the   evening,   after  they   had  discussed 
freely  their  plans,  Eileen  suddenly  aske^,  "Father 
isn  t  Brandon  the  place  where  Harvey  has  begun  his' 
experiment  with  the  new  mill  company.? » 

"Yes,  the  mill  has  been  running  for  four  months 
now." 

"Are  you  thinking  of  going  into  that-into  the 
business  there.?" 

Wrightam  smiled,  « I  have  not  been  asked  to  take 
a  position.     Harvey  is  having  all  sorts  of  trouble. 
Mr.  Stanton  told  me  to-day  that  matters  were  in  con- 
fusion.    They  have  a  fine  plant,  and  Harvey  suc- 
ceeded ,n  getting  interested  over  six  thousand  men 
m  his  scheme.     But  as  you  know,  Cummings  and 
Fleming  have  more  than  held  their  own  here,  and  it 
looks  like  a  battle  between  the  same  old  forces,  and 
I  doubt  If  Harvey  has  the  administrative  and  organ- 
izing abihty  to  win  out." 

Wrightam's  eyes  flashed  with  the  old  war  spirit  of 
the  commercial  days,  when  he  was  the  leader  in  gigan- 
tic efforts  to  control  the  market.  Perhaps  even  Then 
he  had  some  vision  of  what  his  own  Master  could  do 


*">"    


'■#■   i   l- 


I'i 


III 


■t 


hi, 


I 

M 


1 

II 

II 

jyij 

i 

m 

— " 

252      THE  HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

with  his  regenerated  powers.  Surely,  they  had  been 
given  him  for  some  great  purpose.  He  brooded  over 
the  matter,  and  in  the  weeks  that  now  followed,  while 
busy  with  the  details  of  his  removal  to  Brandon,  he 
was  praying  for  guidance  and  wisdom  from  that 
source  which  he  had  come  to  regard  as  infallible. 

He  had  been  settled  in  Brandon  only  a  few  days, 
and  was  still  without  any  definite  plans  for  his  future, 
when,  going  out  one  afternoon  with  the  intention  of 
visiting  the  new  mills  that  stretched  along  the  river, 
their  tall  chimneys  streaming  with  smoke  and  the 
shorter  one  spouting  flame,  he  encountered  Arthur 
Harwood,  just  entering  one  of  the  company  offices. 

«  What !     Arthur !     You  here  ? " 

"  Yes,  I'm  foreman  of  the  new  model-room.  T  fin- 
ished at  Amherst  last  June,  took  a  summer  course  in 
mechanical  engineering  at  Waldeck,  and  then  came 
over  here  and  applied  for  a  place." 

He  spoke  eavnestly,  but  gravely.  Wrightam 
admired  the  young  man's  appearance  immensely,  and 
asked  him  home  to  dinner  that  evening.  He  came, 
and  after  the  meal  the  two  men  spent  the  evening 
talking  over  the  situation  of  the  Brandon  mills. 
Eileen,  who  was  keeping  house  for  her  father,  and 
blossoming  into  a  most  charming  housekeeper,  was 
an  interested  listener.  Young  Harwood  defined  the 
situation  in  a  sentence. 

"  Har>'ey  thinks  he  knows  it  all.  He  has  wonder- 
ful qualities,  but  I  believe  this  task  is  too  much  for 
him.     He  has  some  fine  foremen.     They  understand 


WORKING  OUT   SALVATION 


253 


their  departments,  but  can't  go  outside  of  them.  The 
general  management  is  incffv.ctive.  The  co-operative 
plan  promises  all  right.  The  men  don't  complain 
much.  But  the  whole  thing  lacks  a  head.  Then, 
besides  all  this,  Harney,  with  all  his  executive  ability 
and  his  real  desire  to  bring  about  the  Brotherhood,  has 
no  use  for  the  religious  factor.  To  my  mind,  he 
invites  defeat  by  ignoring  this  great  essential.  All 
he  is  after  is  the  loaves  and  fishes.  And  I  predict 
defeat  even  in  that  line,  because  he  leaves  out  the 
most  essential  thing  of  all.'* 

Wrightam  nodded  vigorous  assent.  "I  believe 
with  you,  Arthur.  What  can  be  done?  It  would  be 
a  pity  to  have  all  this  thing  go  to  the  wall.'* 

"I  am  only  a  kind  of  experimenter,"  Harwood 
answered  with  a  sigh.  "  I  can  only  be  counted  a  drop 
in  the  bucket.  I  have  my  work  to  learn.  And  I 
have  absolutely  no  influence  with  Harvey  in  such  a 
matter." 

"  The  possibilities  here  are  wonderful ! "  Wrightam 
muttered.  The  sight  of  the  great  chimneys,  the  hum 
and  whir  and  stir  of  the  mighty  plant,  as  he  caught 
them  during  his  already  brief  stay  in  Brandon,  had 
affected  him  strongly.  The  knowledge  of  his  own 
powers,  directed,  as  they  now  were,  along  the  way  to 
the  Kingdom,  excited  in  him  such  ambitions  as  he  had 
never  known. 

Yet  he  hesitated  to  go  to  Harvey  with  any  proposi- 
tion or  proffer  of  counsel,  or  even  an  application  for  a 
position.     Somehow,  it  seemed  to  him  the  way  was 


264!      THE  HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 


li 


It:    '' 


M 


H. 


going  to  open  for  him  in  God's  good  time,  and  when 
it  came  it  would  be  exactly  what  he  wanted. 

During  the  evening  Eileen  played  and  sang,  and 
Harwood  sang  one  selection  with  her.     They  had  been 
acquainted  in  tne  days  before  Arthur  had  gone  away 
to  college,  but  had  not  seen  each  other  much,  as  they 
had  not  moved  in  the  same  circle  of  social  life.     Har- 
wood regarded  Eileen  with  respectful  curiosity,  having 
heard  the  story  of  her  devotion  to  her  father.     Eileen 
regarded  him  with  interest,  knowing  something  of  his 
plan,  as  he  suggested  it  that  evening,  to  do  as  his  own 
father  had  done  in  an  attempt  to  study  at  first  hand 
the  conditions  of  Labor.     When  Harwood  went  back 
to  his  boarding  place  that  night  he  carried  with  him 
a  pleasant  picture  of  Eileen  and  her  father  standing 
together  in  the  hall,  heartily  inviting  him  to  drop  in 
often  of  an  evening.     If  the  young  man  began  to  take 
them  at  their  word,  and  to  prize  those  precious  visits 
in  the  "den"  (for  the  little  house  in  Brandon  had  its 
"  den  "  also),  it  is  no  more  than  he  felt  perhaps  he  had 
a  right  to  after  wrestling  with  the  human  and  machine 
problem  in  the  dusky  mills. 

Before  all  that  became  a  part  of  this  history,  how- 
ever, an  event  occurred  that  led  to  the  opening  of  the 
door  Wrightam  was  praying  for ;  but  it  came  along  a 
mysterious  track  that  he  had  never  dreamed,  and  in  a 
way  that  he  would  not  have  chosen.  But  God's  ways 
are  not  ours,  and  his  dealings  with  the  children  of 
men  are  past  finding  out. 


XXIII 

HUSBAND    AND    WIFE 

IT  was  less  than  a  week  after  Harwood  had  been  to 
Wrightam's  that  evening,  that  Wrightam,  walk- 
ing down  by  the  mills,  fascinated  and  attracted  in 
that  direction,  noticed,  staring  at  him  on  a  high  board 
fence  across  the  street,  a  theatrical  poster  announcing 
the  coming  of  "Mrs.  Elsie  Lynde,  the  great  melo- 
dramatic actress,"  to  Brandon,  in  her  famous  play, 
"  The  Last  Act." 

He  stared  at  the  many-colored  poster,  which  con- 
tained a  large  picture  of  his  wife,  and  on  his  way  back 
home  hoped  that  Eileen  would  not  see  it.  But  when 
the  papers  that  week  gave  large  notices  of  Mrs. 
Lynde's  play  and  sensational  accounts  of  herself, 
Wrightam  knew  Eileen  must  have  knowledge  of  her 
mother's  coming  to  Brandon.  The  girl  had  not  men- 
tioned it  to  him,  but  he  noted  an  increase  of  tenderness 
in  her  manner  towards  him. 

Brandon  boasted  a  new  theatre  building,  erected  at 
a  cost  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  and  catering 
largely  to  the  new  mill  element.  That  night  of  Mrs. 
Lynde's  appearance  the  building  was  packed  to  the 
roof. 

The  play  was  both  sensational  and  questionable. 
The  acting  was  indifferent,  (  en  bad,  from  every 
standard,  except  Mrs.  Lynde's.     She  really  possessed 

§ss 


'!       I 


'i 


ri. 


««6      THE   HEAHT  OF  THE   WORLD 

large  histrionic  power,  and  knew  how  to  thrill  an  a, 
ence  as  much  b^  her  acting  as  by  her  unquestio 
beauty  Those  who  were  there  that  night  acknc 
edged  the  marvelous  charm  of  her  presLe.     M 

i?s:  Civfd"  "'IV'  "™* "' """  '^«'" '««'  •>- 

s  v,v.d  m  .ts  horror.  She  came  and  went  looki 
l.ke  a  person  without  a  sin  or  fault.  She  was  I 
wronged  and  injured  one.  Her  tears  fell  naTura 
and  sympathetically  to  the  accompaniment  f, 
orchestra,  and  Ihe.r  realism  affected  hundreds  of  . 
ni.ll  oi«,rat,ves,  many  of  whom  carried  f,x>m  th 
evenmg-s  acting  a  firm  belief  that  Mrs.  Wrrghta 
had  been  a  mc,t  abused  and  ill-treated  woman.* 

Into  the  midst  of  a  climax  in  the  third  act,  an  od 
of  burnmg  wood  startled  the  member,  of  t 
orchestra.  The  leader  let  his  baton  fall  t^ the  flol 
and  ran  towards  the  little  door  under  the  stage.  Bef" 
he  reached  ,t  a  wave  of  white  smoke  drifted  acros" 
foothghts,  and  the  whole  theatre,  from  wings  an 
stage  entrance,  seemed  to  burst  into  flame  with 
m,rac„lo,.  rapidity.  Then  arose  that  maddening  cr 
of  fire.     It  turned  the  audience  into  senseless  annual" 

cfok  7  •  r  J*!"     '^'    «'"-^    "»i"-y»    bee™ 

suffocated  ,n  the  passage,  only  a  few  feet  from  th. 
w.de  open  doorways.     It  was  ,„  ;„,„,,  „;,/  *^ 

n,ob,.ch^member  of  it  caHng  for  nothing  e.ce^^::: 
with  Harwood  that  evening.     They  were  at  the  house, 


LD 

II  an  audi- 
questioned 
Hcknowl- 
e.     Many 
id  become 
it  looking 
^  was  the 
naturally 
it  of  the 
ds  of  the 
rom  that 
i^rightam 
n. 

(  an  odor 
of    the 
:he  floor, 
•  Before 
Jross  the 
igs  and 
with  a 
ing  cry 
animals 
became 
rwards, 
om  the 
J  beast 
ept  his 

:uation 
house. 


HUSBAND   AND  WIFE  ^57 

and  Harwood  had  repeated  a  statement  about  Har- 
vey  8  real  abihty  to  face  a  coming  crisis  for  the  mill 
management,  when  Wrightam  said.  "  Hark !  Wasn't 
that  the  fire-alarm?" 

They  went  to  the  window,  and  the  glow  of  the 

TZ    J.  .    ^"  ^°' "     ^"S^*'^"'  -'^^d,  and  Har- 
wood  nodded. 

When  they  reached  the  theatre  the  police  were  try- 
mg  to  hold  the  people  back.  Wrightam  went  at  once 
to  the  chief  and  said.  "My  wife  is  in  there."  The 
next  mmute  he  was  climbing  in  a  window  at  the  rear 
of  the  building.  As  he  jumped  down  into  the  smok- 
ing darkness,  he  felt  Harwood  beside  him. 

There  was  not  a  word  exchanged  between  them,  but 
ihey  acted  deliberately,  and  as  if  by  spoken  concert. 
The  theatre  was  blazing  through  the  stage  and  the 
back  part  of  the  roof.     The  two  men  had  entered  a 
narrow  passage  leading  to  the  greenroom.     It  was 
almost  the  only  part  of  the  building  which  was  as 
yet  untouched.     The  firemen  were  in  different  parts 
of  the  theatre  and  Wrightam  could  see  and  hear  them 
as  they  fought  the  flames  or  helped  rescue  the  unfor- 

lobby  '*  '""*^''"*^  *°  *^'  '"'^'^"^  °^  *^"  "PP^^ 
The  smoke  was  so  dense  that  Wrightam  got  down 
and  crawled  on  hands  and  knees  towards  the  stage. 
Several  bodies  were  at  the  foot  of  the  greenroom 
entrance  In  the  awful  half-light  he  tried  to  find  if 
any  of  these  forms  was  that  of  his  wifo.     Suddenly 


33^^  i*msBsi.  \-^<r^m 


i!  t 


Uf. 


JJ! 


JM8      THE   HEART  OF  THE   WORLD 

the  greenroom  door,  which  opened  inward  at  the  top 
of  the  short  flight  of  stairs,  wns  burst  from  its 
hinges,  and  two  men,  howling  and  fighting  together, 
struggled  through  the  narrow  entrance,  treading  in 
complete  indifference  upon  the  faces  and  bodies  of  the 
prostrate  ones  that  choked  the  passage.  At  the  same 
time,  the  entire  greenroom  seemed  to  explode,  with  a 
shock,  into  flame.  The  smoke  rolled  up  and  was 
apparently  transformed  into  billows  of  fire,  and  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  from  which  she  had  risen  as  if 
suddenly  aroused  out  of  some  deadly  trance,  stood 
Mrs.  Wrightam,  her  dress  beginning  to  bum  and  the 
terror  of  madness  on  her  face. 

Wrightam  leaped  up  and  past  the  cursing,  strug- 
gling {.gures  in  the  doorway,  crying,  "  Amy !  Amy ! " 
She  heard  him,  and  ran  screaming  to  him.  A  blazing 
fragment  of  timber  fell  from  the  ceiling  and  smote 
her  dovn,  just  at  the  moment  her  husband  caught 
her.  Harwood  helped  raise  the  figure,  and  extin- 
guished the  fire  on  her  dress,  and  then,  scorched, 
blinded,  gasping,  they  succeeded  in  getting  her  to  the 
window  and  outside.  The  back  wall  crashed  in  as 
they  were  carrying  their  burden  farther  from  the 
building  to  a  place  of  safety.  They  all  sank  down 
for  a  time  insensible.  Kindl}  hands  helped  them  into 
an  adjoining  house,  and  Wrightam  and  Harwood 
were  able  by  morning  to  care  for  themselves. 

Wrightam  painfully  hobbled  into  the  room  where 
his  wife  had  been  carried.  He  found  a  pitiful  figure, 
semi-oonscious,  disfigured,  torturer!  with  mental  and 


HUSBAND   AND   WIFE  ft59 

physical  agonj  from  which  he  shrank    as  if  from  a 
blow. 

A  week  later  he  knew,  with  her,  the  worst.  It  had 
been  possible  to  move  her  to  his  house.  The  nervous 
shock  had  resulted  in  a  curious  mingling  of  loathing 
for  herself  and  hatred  of  God. 

He  told  her  the  truth,  as  she  insisted  on  knowing  it. 
She  would  lose  one  eye.  Her  famous  beauty  was 
destroyed  at  a  blow.  The  scars  left  by  the  burning 
of  her  hands  and  arms  would  disfigure  Ker  for  life 

When  she  had  listened  to  what  she  had  forced  him 
to  say    she  suddenly  attempted  to  tear  the  bandage 
from  her  face.     He  prevented  her  from  accomplish- 
ing her  purpose,  but  not  before  she  had  partly  suc- 
ceeded,   and    fainted    away    under    the    self-inflicted 
torture      After  that,  cither  Mr.  Wrigi.tam  or  Eileen 
was  with  her  day  and  night.     She  finally  yielded  to 
the  unexpected  horror  of  her  future  with  a  sullen 
despair.     For    weeks    she  never  spoke.     Wrightam 
surrounded  her  with  every  mark  of  affection.     She 
watched    him    with    cold    and    critical    aspect,    and 
VVrightam  grew  to  think  her  absolutely  heartless. 

At  last,  one  day,  after  weeks  of  henrt-breuking  for- 
bearing he  saw  a  tear  on  her  rou^^h,  scarred  cheek. 
It  was  God  s  tr  ^  the  first  this  proud  woman  had  shed 
'"  ITZ'  ■  }^  '  '  *^'  beginning  of  the  end.  That 
night  Wnglitam  .ould  kneel  and  thank  the  Father  for 
softening  her  heart.  And  oh,  how  his  own  heart 
leaped  up  one  day  yet  later  on,  when  she  suddenly 
drew  his  face  down,  and  almost  fiercely  demanded  why 


\ 


\ 


J  J.. 


160      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

and  how  he  could  care  for  such  a  wreck  as  she  had 
become. 

"I  never  loved  you  more  truly  than  at  this 
moment,"  he  said  with  an  honest  glow  of  his  trans- 
figured face  that  she  could  not  doubt.  She  broke 
down  under  it  all.  Love  conquered  her.  There  was 
no  future  for  her  except  in  that.  Along  any  other 
track  lay  madness,  darkness,  death.  Alfred,  her  boy, 
had  left  her  shortly  after  the  letter  Wrightam  had 
written.  He  is  not  a  part  of  this  chronicle.  But  for 
her  now  there  was  nothing  left  but  love,  and  by  God's 
grace  she  found  that  harbor,  and  in  its  peafce  she  grew 
content  to  spend  the  rest  of  her  days.  And  that  is  a 
history  by  itself  that  some  one,  sometime,  should  write 
for  the  encouragement  of  souls  who  have  been  smitten 
in  like  manner. 

But  out  of  this  buniing  came  another  opportunity 
for  Wrightam.  Harvey  had  nearly  lost  his  life  that 
night.  Two  of  his  most  trusted  and  capable  superin- 
tendents did  lose  theirs.  During  all  the  time  Mrs. 
Wrightam  was  fighting  her  way  towards  the  liberty 
and  sweetness  of  love,  Harvey,  who  had  been  caught 
by  the  panic-smitten  crowd  on  the  stairway,  was 
slowly  recovering,  always  to  bear  about  with  him  a 
disabled  body.  His  spirit  was  fierce  and  untamed  as 
ever.  Stanton  came  over  to  Brandon  and  found 
Harvey  writhing  over  the  prospect,  unreconciled  to  the 
future,  bearing  the  burden  of  the  mill  management 
with  a  grim  stoicism  which  did  not  deceive  Stanton 
in  the  least. 


i 


XXIV 


<« 


t; 


LOVE    CONQUEHS   ALL 


I  HE  mill  is  going  to  the  dog.,.  Harwood  ha. 
been  m  to  tell  n.e  of  thing,.  But  someho,., 
Ill  make  it  yet." 

Hat'^"  tr^  '"'  ^''^'     "  ^  ^*^^  »^d  *  t^lk  with 
Hanrood.    Matters  are  worse  than  jou  supp6«,.    The 
whole  Uung  needs  a  head.     You  won't  be'a'STto  gi 
around  for  months  yet." 

Harvey  groaned,  but  protested,  .„d  .t  l.,t  g.ve  up 

to  Stanton's  suggestion.  ' 

"Here  is  Wrightan,.     Ask  him  to  help  you  to 

^™.gh  en  thin^  out.     He  has  wonderful  Llity 

The«  .„  t  another  living  man  who  know,  how  to 

manage  this  matter  like  him." 

So  Stanton  went  over  and  told  Wrightam  what  th. 
«tuat.on  was.  WrighUm  went  back  ^th  him  to  «. 
Harvey.    Harvey  g.^eeted  him  at  first  stiffly,  but  be- 

of  the  plant  „d  ch«,se  his  own  superintendTu.    H. 
WM  to  have  hb.rty  in  the  matter  of  meeting,  with  th. 

961 


rli 


i\ 


je6«      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 

men  and  use  whatever  religious  influence  he  could  to 
shape  their  purposes.  Harvey  was  incredulous.  But 
Wrightam  insisted,  that  only  on  condition  that  he  be 
given  a  free  hand  would  he  undertake  the  manage- 
ment, and  with  this  clear  understanding  he  began  the 
greatest  work  of  his  life. 

How  well  he  did  that  work  let  Fredrick  Stanton 
relate.    Another  year  had  slipped  by  since  the  theatre 
fire.    It  was  the  Christmas  week.    On  Harvey's  invi- 
tation,  Stanton  had   gone  over  to   Brandon   to   be 
present  at  the  profit-sharing  meeting.     Stanton  had 
spent  three  days  with  Harvey  and  Wrightam.    On  his 
return  he  told  Mildred  the  story  of  that  year's  work. 
« It  is  almost  beyond  belief,  Mildred.    If  I  had  not 
Ken    McAndrew's    co-operative    stores    in    Raleigh, 
England,   I   would   have   said   a    miracle   had   been 
wrought.    Wrightam  has  a  wonderful  hold  on  the  men. 
There  is  not  one  of  them,  Slav,  Scandinavian,  Irish, 
Hungarian,  Italian,  who  does  not  swear  and  pray  by 
Wrightam.    Every  morning  the  men  assemble  in  the 
big  hall  over  the  machine  shops,  and  Wrightam  has  a 
twenty-minute  service  into  which  he  packs  the  love  of 
his  soul  for  those  men.    You  should  see  him.    His  eyes 
glow,  his  face  is  transfigured,  his  whole  being  shines 
with  the  love  of  Christ.     It  is  a  passion  with  him  to 
save  those  men,  not  only  industrially,  but  spiritually. 
The  men  trust  him  implicitly.     His  salary  has  been 
the  same  as  the  wages  of  any  man  in  the  shops  who  is 
working  at  skived  labor.    The  first  year's  experiment 
proved  the  possibiUty  of  the  co-operative  plan  even 


I 


LOVE  CONQUERS  ALL  «68 

under  a  groat  handicap  of  luismanagcment.  It  can 
be  done.  The  dividends  this  season  were  fifteen  per 
cent,  of  the  wages.  By  the  ominon  arrangement 
agreed  upon  at  the  beginning,  superintendent,  fore- 
man and  workmfn  share  equally  in  the  profits  and 
losses.  Wrightam  does  not  claim  that  this  is  the  only 
or  best  method ;  but  he  does  claim,  with  Harvey,  that 
by  this  method  tiie  men  have  been  unified  and  a'  spirit 
of  Brotherhood  has  been  estabhshed,  such  as  they  never 
knew  before. 

"But  the  great  thing  about  Wrightam's  manage- 
ment is  the  religious  grip  on  the  whole  affair.    That 
twenty-minute  service  every  morning  puts  its  stamp 
on  the  whole  thing.     I  saw  tears  in  men's  eyes  that 
were  worth  more  than  a  million  dollars  a  year  to  them 
and  to  Wrightam.     He  is  absolutely  correct  when  he 
says  that  the  whole  Labor  question  will  never  be  set- 
tled right  until  it  is  settled  on  the  basis  of  a  genuine 
love  of  man.     His  remarkable  powers  of  organization 
and  leadership,  that  once  made  him  the  dreaded  cap- 
tain of  industry,  are  now  consecrated   to  leading 
Labor  into  the  higher  and  better  way  of  God's  service. 
And  at  the  centre  of  it  all  beats  one  of  the  truest, 
tenderest  hearts  that  God  ever  regenerated  for  his 
glory." 

'•How  about  Mrs.  Wrightam?"  asked  Mildred. 

"  I  saw  her  a  few  minutes.  She  is  so  changed  you 
would  not  know  her.  People  say  her  beauty  is  gone. 
In  place  of  it  there  is  something  better.  I  believe  she 
is  not  far  from  the  Kingdom  of  God.    She  reverences 


264      THE   HEART  OF  THE  WORLD 


n 


her  husband,  and  is  apparently  reconciled  to  her  new 
life.  She  struck  me  as  one  who  had  a  profound  feel- 
ing of  unspeakable  relief  to  be  surrounded  by  a  per- 
fect affection." 

"And  Eileen?" 

"Eileen  is  a  splendid  girl.  By  the  way,  Arthur 
Harwood  seems  to  feel  perfectly  at  home  there  at 
Wrightam's.  I  ventured  to  speak  to  Wrightam  about 
him,  and  he  smiled  and  said  he  should  not  discourage  a 
co-operative  union  in  that  direction.  Arthur  has  capa- 
bilities, and  is  logically  in  tin  line  of  succession  after 
Wrightam?" 

"And  Harvey?" 

"Well,  Harvey  is  broken  a  great  deal  He  has 
never  recovered  from  the  injuries  received  at  the  fire. 
Sometimes  I  think  he  is  not  far  from  the  Kingdom, 
either.  One  morning,  while  Wrightam  was  talking, 
Harvey  sat  on  the  platform,  his  great  dark  eyes  fixed 
on  Wrightam  with  a  wistful  look,  as  if  he  envied 
Wrightam  the  power  he  possesses  over  men.  When  the 
service  closed  Harvey  took  up  his  crutches  and  hobbled 
down  and  shook  hands  with  StoUwitz,  who  is  foreman 
in  the  casting-room  now.  Stollwite  returned  his  grasp 
heartily,  and  I  heard  him  pay  to  Harvey : 

"  *  Brudder  Harvey,  ven  will  you  gif  your  heart  to 
the  Lord  mit  von  whole  surrender,  eh?  * 

"  I  did  not  hear  Harvey's  reply ;  but  I  knew  he  was 
deeply  affected,  for  his  eyes  were  glistening  as  he 
went  out." 

Stanton  sat  silent,  looking  into  th«  fire.    The  Christ- 


I- 


LOVE   CONQUERS   ALL  265 

ohild  spirit  ™  abroad  in  the  world.     The  hapcv 

gleet..n^  of  so..e  passers-by  outside  the  house  reached 

hem.-  "Merry  Chrisfnas!"  and  the  hurrying  feet  on 

hand  of  God,  and  he  had  not  forgotten  it.     The  tall 
Oumneys  at  Lenox  and  Brandon  would  .11  alike  be 

mokeles.    .^rrow;  for  it  was  Christmas  day.    Th 
rtnfe  would  be  resumed  afterwards,  and  greed  and 
confl,ot,  and  man  against  man,  and  man  frhfrnse"? 

wth  Its  false  happmess,  and  Labor  would  suffer  and 

world  of  warrmg  mterests  between  the  men  of  money 
.nd  the  men  of  muscle,  brooded  the  Brotherhood 
Fr«i^ck  stant..n  and  Mildred,  his  wife,  .at  to^ 

on    a„rsT  ":      "  °  ""■°"  °'  ••"'"  ''"•"«'  farther 

Wnghtam  has  seen  the  Christ.    The  heart  of  the  world 

Z  vl  7u  '  "  "°  "'""'■  'o  »"  ')"<^>'«<'"»  between 
men  I,ke  that.  Nothing  is  ever  settled  right  untilrt 
..settled  by  that  test.     God  grant  to  thf  wo  Id    h' 

aTmuJ^T  "'"'""''  "  "-''y  Chrislma.  time." 
And  Mildred,  hi.  wife,  whispeT-d,  "  Amen." 


I 


M^ 

^'^       -4* 

^ ,  jS 

ill; 

BIhIi  gVi 

si- 

' '- ^^MIhiBk^_ 

i 

FICTION  BORN  OP  FACT 

THE  INFORMING  SORT 


9Stlis.wo 
Deborah.     A  Tale  of  the  Timet  ofjaim 
Maccabcui.      By    James    M.    I  nm.tm . 
niottnted,  I2IBO.     Cloth,      .50. 

**In  Che  preriiUnc  imtn  of  ^i-hiMuc  ic^tiaeDl  ta4  anik 
dnvn  raalliin,  ■  Mery like  Dcbomfe  I*  »  vetitahle  oMb.  It  ■«( 
MfUtaljr  prere  >  work  ef  naiitati  fa*or  tmaae  tboM  r«4an 
who  deUghi  in  *iTld  pictmnt  of  gnmt  hiitorlcal  opUodw  MMt  ra> 
>fc«  lo  >  book  para  lo  loac  and  ofttMnf."— £vraMf  «Mr 

1^  >k  Mtkr  •/•*r»«  M^4,nl,h  AmWj" 

Under  Calvin's  SpeU.  A  Hittario]  Ro- 
mance  of  Old  Geneva.  By  D.  Aloooc 
niustrated.     II1.50, 

"A  hiitorlcit  novd  of  the  iscaf  Calvia  uU  lk«  Ma 
A«  Maa*  ceateriBf  la  Cenevi  btK  tkiAini  m  thaw 
tB4  rnace.     Tke  plot  U  vicaaww  with  ■cUoo,  «■ 
friaa*  ud  cridcil  ihutMa*." 

Oaesimus,   Christ's   Freeman.      Bf 

Charles  E.  Ccmmtin.     fftattnted,  i  tm^ 
Cloth,  11.25. 

"A  work  of  decided  merit,  Dot  «i«)r  la  the  lUr  Md  to  vodU 
>Bff  Ml,  bat  (Uo  in  the  flrill  irlth  wkkh  the  anihor  tai  arrfM 
Maartrof  tbe  meagre  fiiblicid  mateilaJ.'  -77m  Oui/mI 
Ml$hif  Brttti  tnd  thi  Mtitpr  Bluwu. 

The  Bishop's  Shadow.  By  Mm.  I.  T. 
Thotutok.  With  illustrar'ona  bjr  M. 
EcuMoir.     i»«o.  Cloth,  I1./5. 

"A  e»»«l»»Ung  itory  y  dcv   FhiUlo*  jSrook*   *q^ 
019m  ^win  of  BoatoQ.    T.>'-  oook  act)  fertl 
i«M  ekarir:«r  of  the  ChrUtUke 


fortii  the  ataioa<  . 

MMf  in  moatiovtef  Muriovalf 


FLEMING  #f.  %9NtAS    COMPAUr 
MEW  YORK  €HICAOO  fm^WfO 


The  IuAtest  incnoN 

THE    INSPIRING    SORT 


Janet  Ward.  A  Daughter  of  the  Mum. 
By  Margaret  £.  Sanciter.     ^1.50 

A  college  jirii  Mory  written  in  the  intcreti  of  the  glri  of 
tm-d»Y-  "  ■•  to  ibow  jreuog  woaen  their  oppertunitic*  Md  to 
udlcate  how  uy  true-hearted  girl  mar  walk  icathleM  Ihreach 
■U  itaacen  that  bceet  her  path. 

Fool's  Gold.  By  Annie  Raymond  Still- 
man.     |i.$o. 

A  Mriliing  dovfI.  a  reaaacc  of  escepiioBat  power  1b 
which  plot  and  action  yield  a  large  tribiuc  to  the  iiroag  porpaae 
oftlie  baoic. 

Love  Nerer  Faileth.  An  Emotion 
Touched  By  MonJitiet.  By  Carniom 
Simpson.     $1.2$ 

**Strotig  In  it!  norai  tone,  upUWngin  Ite  purity, a-^c  enarle. 
ably  eatertalniag  aa  a  rooaace  of  the  afcctioaa.'  —  '«« 


Luiln,. 


"A^ghl,tiralKhlforward  lo*e*tory,full  of  youtli 
t."—Margmrti  £.  SsK£i$ir. 


•MM  M. 


and  tweet- 


Aunt  Abby's   Neighbors.    By   Annu 

TrumbullSlomon.  Freelydecorated.  J I .  oo 

To  the  thouiaa>li  ut  readera  who  know  "Piahin'  Jimmy" 
an<f  >li  other  remarkable  creaiione  of  Mrs.  Slouon'e  geniot,  it  it 
enough  to  aaaounce  a  new  Hoif  ttam  her  deft  and  (ubUe  pen. 

The  Little  Green  God.     A  Satire  on 

American  Hinduism. 

By  CAROLim  Atwatsr  Mason.     75c. 

By  the  author  of  "The  Ulr  of  France."  PttDgeDt,  witty, 
bumoroui,  pathetic  and  lerriMy  in  eanMet  and  ••fieM  ta  mean- 
lug.     Thii  Intit  book  wiU  aake  *  eeuatioa. 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 


The  IuAtest  Fiction 

THE    INSPIRING    SORT 


Those  Black  Diamond  Men.    A  Tile 

of  the  Anthrax  Valley.     By   William  F 
GiBBONi.      Illustrated.     11.50 

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worthy  contnbution  to  the  IhtTMtuU  of  the  m.ki  J^  of  ,he  W«.! 

A  Chinese  Quaker.  An  Unfictitiom  Novel 

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"An  rxquui'e  book,  writien  in  the  sweeter  ipir'.t,  out  of  tie 
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t '1 


T.AXiB8   Olf   TZXa  NORTH  BV 

Egerton  R.  Youno 


f 


i:  :i 


Mr  Dogi  In  the  Nortli- 
hod. 

PrefiiMijr  lUaMraicd. 
lime,  doth,  |i.t5Dct. 
IxpcriMCM  with  liUme 
m4  ft.  Btniu4  det«, 
c«T«riag  jrcira  of  ilcdge 
triTil  la  tht  froseu  wild* 
of  BrltUh;  America.  A  a 
exciting  Mery  la  which 
the  mwcU  of  dog  initlnct, 
IntelUgcac*  and  atnngth 
pltj  the  chief  part.  Mr. 
Yoaag  frovct  la  a  mo«t 
entertaining  and  inatruc* 
tiva  way  that  each  dog, 
Jatt  a*  mnch  u  a  penon, 
kaa  hk  own  tadlrldual 
character,  and  mut  be 
4a«lt  with  aecordJngtjr. 
Terrible  pcrtla,  wonderful 
cecapca  and  ledden  emei- 
gcndea  mix  with  the  moat 
comical  (Itaartoni. 

Oq  the  ladUn  Trail. 

S  t  e  r  I  e  •  of  Mimlonary 
Ixpertencea  among  the 
Cice  and  the  Saali«ttix 
ladiane.  Storiea  of  Mi*. 
*ioa.     Iimo,  doth,  li.oo. 


"He   bat    a   haff/    and 

•ftea  amaalnglf  qaalnt 
war  of  detcriMng  the  In- 
ddeat*  and  kirrsaadingt 
of  frontier  Ufe.  Hi*  cheer, 
ful,  almott  merry,  temper, 
while  reconnilng  the  de. 
tIcci  reiortcd  to  in  cadur. 
Ing  or  maaleringprivationa 
and  dangenareitimalatlng 
and    InttPicrire."—  Tht 

Tfae  Apottle  of  (he 
North,  Jama  Evaiu. 

With  twenty  iUoatraUona 
by  J.  E.  Laughiln.  luno, 
doth,|i.is. 

"A  freth  theme  Ii  pre. 
tented  here— the  life  of  a 
mlMlonary  in  Upper  Can. 
ada,  and  the  northward 
regioat  at  far  at  Athabatca 
Lake  and  e»ea  beyond. 
Yonng  people,  uiually  not 
attracted  to  mlulonary 
eiteratnre,  will  be  inter, 
ctted  in  the  book.  It  it 
well  illiMtrttcd."— nt 
Outl„i. 


^B50^ 


immw^ 


V 

3t 


•'  •n4 
faalnt 
the  la- 
nding* 
chccN 
rmper, 
Itt  it. 
cadar> 
'■Uou 
ilatlng 


aUoaa 
ixrae, 

I  pre- 

e  efa 

C». 

iwtri 
ibuca 

road. 
It  not 
Dnary 
Inter. 
It  U 
-Th, 


